Bill Cassidy and Marsha Blackburn are spearheading legislation to overrule California Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest outrage. Newsom is fighting to give Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants using a loophole that gets around a federal law that prohibits illegals from having access programs like these.
There are no doubts that the Democrats will oppose the bill but Mitch McConnell should try to force the issue to get them on record.
As the state of California remains poised to adopt a bill that would give full Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants, Sen. Bill Cassidy and other Senate Republicans proposed legislation to block leftist states from forcing Americans to subsidize programs that expand benefits to illegal immigrants, the Breitbart reported.
The bill would offer illegal immigrants full Medicaid benefits as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to create a universal healthcare system.
Sens. Cassidy, John Barrasso, Marsha Blackburn, Cindy Hyde-Smith , Jim Inhofe, David Perdue and Roger Wicker introduced the Protect Medicaid Act (S. 131) to ensure that in the future states cannot bilk Medicaid to subsidize programs that expand Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants.
Federal law prevents illegals from receiving Medicaid, but, states such as California exploit a loophole by using state funds to extend Medicaid benefits to illegal aliens. Newsom’s plan could allow up to 90,000 illegal immigrants to receive Medicaid coverage. The state plans to use an exploit to offset the new expansion using Medicaid — roughly $24 million of the $98 million in the first year will be offset in the first year.
Sen. Cassidy’s Protect Medicaid Act prohibits states from using federal funds to administer state Medicaid benefits, paid for by Americans citizens, to illegal immigrants. If a state such as California chooses to give Medicaid benefits to illegals, the Louisiana senator’s bill stipulates that the state does so from its budget.
“Governor Newsom’s plan is a giant magnet for more illegal immigration, and it will hurt California citizens who depend on Medicaid. Simple math says you can’t add the entire population of another country to Medicaid and still take care of the American citizens who need it. In addition, the plan is unfair to vulnerable Americans and it’s not fair to middle-class families paying taxes—taking care of them should be our priority. Compassion that cannot be sustained is not compassion.” Sen. Cassidy stated on Sunday.
Governor Newsom’s plan is a giant magnet for more future illegal immigration, and it will hurt the citizens of California who depend on Medicaid. If you do a simple math it says that you can’t add the entire population of another country to Medicaid and still take care of the American citizens who need it. Additionally, the plan is unfair to vulnerable Americans and it’s also not fair to middle-class families paying taxes—taking care of them should be our priority. Compassion that cannot be sustained is not compassion.
Sen. Cassidy’s legislation also requires the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to review and report on:
How states that provide Medicaid benefits to illegals keep federal and state dollars separate. Whether states providing health benefits to illegals use budget gimmicks to bilk the federal government, such as provider taxes and intergovernmental transfers, to launder federal dollars to offset the cost of providing benefits to this population.
Also, whether illegal immigrants benefit from covered outpatient drugs purchased under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and the 340B program, and whether this impacts the prices American citizens pay.
“Tennesseans and the American people do not want their tax dollars subsidizing Medicaid for illegal immigrants,” Sen. Blackburn said. “At a time when Medicaid is being stretched to the breaking point, the last thing we need are liberal states like California circumventing federal law to give those dollars to illegals at the expense of vulnerable American citizens.”
