America For Purchase

On Wednesday night, Rep. Joe Wilson [R, SC-2], shouted “You lie!” at President Obama when he said that the health care bill would not cover illegal immigrants. “The supporters of the government takeover of health care and liberals who want to give health care to illegals are using my opposition as an excuse to distract from the critical questions being raised about this poorly conceived plan,” Wilson said the next day in a campaign fund-raising video.

However, in 2003, Wilson voted to provide federal funds for illegal immigrants’ health care. The vote came on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which contained Sec. 1011 authorizing $250,000 annually between 2003 and 2008 for government reimbursements to hospitals who provide treatment for uninsured illegal immigrants. The program has been extended through 2009 and there is currently a bipartisan bill in Congress to make it permanent.Wilson was wrong, as are those who continue to claim that the health care bill allows taxpayer dollars to pay of illegal immigrants’ health care.

H.R. 3200: Sec 246 — NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS

Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

Of course Wilson’s 2003 vote was when a Republican president and Republican congress were in office. The GOP obviously believes the U.S. Government is only ‘bad’ when they are not in power.  Unfortunately, Joe Wilson along with the rest of the Republicans voted not to pay for the Medicare Prescription Drug program choosing instead to pass along the multi-billion dollar costs to the national debt.

Joe Wilson and the GOP should realize health care reform is not a political issue, it is a health care issue for millions of Americans but I realize I am too naïve as both the GOP and Democrats have received hundreds of millions in campaign bribes from lobbyists, as they con the American people by supporting big pharmaceutical and health insurance companies.

Read the whole story: Open Congress

Filed under: Republicans