Obama: Does "Americans" Mean No Health Care For Uninsured Immigrants?

On August 5, 2008, discussing Barack Obama's health plan, I quoted his web site's language ("Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans") and commented "This still leaves states, counties and cities with the staggering financial burden of providing health care services for individuals who are in the United States illegally".

A recent publication, The Impact of Immigration on Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, 1994-2006 clarifies the significance of Obama's omission. This August, 2008 report by Paul Fronstin of EBRI (Employee Benefit Research Institute) describes and analyzes the 1994-2006 impact of immigration on health insurance coverage. (ebri.org/pdf/notespdf/EBRI_Notes_08b-20081.pdf).

In 1994 36.5 million persons in the U.S. were uninsured and that number climbed to 45.4 million under age 65 in 2006. While most uninsured in the U.S. are native-born Americans, Fronstin reports that in excess of 46 percent (more than 12 million) of foreign-born noncitizens were uninsured in 2006 (as compared to almost 20 percent among American citizens who were foreign-born and 15 percent among native-born individuals.

The report notes that California, Texas, Florida and New York are the states where the greatest numbers of the uninsured immigrants live.

Fronstin has helped to clarify the dimensions of the impact of immigration on uninsured health care in the U.S.

Obama's health plan will still leave states, counties and cities with the staggering financial burden of providing health care services for individuals who are in the United States illegally. His plan perpetuates an expensive cost-shift to cities, counties, states and their taxpayers and employers.

As a Harvard Law School Law Review editor, graduate and lawyer, Obama's choice of words and particularly his ambiguities, are significant. Words do count.