The Progressive Message

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. I would like to thank Mr. Ellison, certainly, for the kind introduction and for sharing very powerful stories.

I have had the opportunity to share a number of stories on the floor of the House of Representatives, and these are all real people who are impacted. I think that, perhaps, my colleagues in the House and those watching us can see in themselves some of the experiences that American families go through.

We're not just talking about the uninsured out there, some mysterious group that you're not a part of because you might have insurance. We're talking about American families, American families who are worrying because one of the parents lost a job; we're talking about soccer moms; we're talking about people with preexisting conditions.

I want to briefly talk about immigration in the context of immigration and health care reform. I received some false information from an anti-immigrant group. The name of this group is the Federation for American Immigration Reform. They're actually a group that fights against immigration reform, but their name says that they're for immigration reform.

They believe--and I believe that similar comments have been echoed on the floor of the House of Representatives--that there is in the health care bill before us something that allows illegal aliens to game the system and to access taxpayer-subsidized health care benefits.

What they're seeking to do--and it would significantly raise the cost of the bill should they succeed--is to prevent our undocumented population, some 12 to 15 million people who reside in our country and who contribute in so many ways, from buying insurance through the exchange.

Now, remember, the ``exchange'' is something that doesn't exist today. It's set up under law. It is not subsidized health care. It is where small businesses or individuals will go. They, of course, will pay the full market rate. There will be many private companies that will participate in the exchange and that will design products for the exchange. It is not a benefit. It is simply a marketplace. We've never before barred anyone from being able to purchase a product like health insurance at full price because of one's citizenship or immigration status, nor is it good policy.

I think that many of us on both sides of the aisle would agree that we shouldn't have as large an undocumented population as we do. I dare say we shouldn't have an undocumented population at all. There might be different solutions to that. Mine would simply be to normalize the status of those who are here, who work hard and who contribute so much to our country. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who also agree we shouldn't have a large undocumented population, might, in fact, have a different solution to that.

Insofar as they are here, we should, all of us, regardless of where we stand ideologically, want them to buy insurance with their own money if they are willing to. They certainly all won't; but to the extent that they do, they are less of a burden on the rest of us. Anybody who would seek to prevent them from accessing the exchange, which will really be ``the place''--``the place'' for individuals to buy insurance--effectively is saying that taxpayers should subsidize illegal immigrants.

Frankly, I think that there are many across the country who have a problem with that. To prevent undocumented immigrants from being able to buy insurance from the exchange is saying that taxpayers should pay for their health care. They're going to go to the emergency rooms. They won't have insurance. The costs will be shifted to the rest of us and to taxpayers. We should encourage our undocumented population to buy insurance with their own money. Again, I don't think all of them will, but some of them will. That's a very good thing, and I'm very hopeful that many undocumented immigrants will participate in this exchange.

The exchange makes health care affordable for individuals. Right now, we have an issue where individuals don't have the buying power of big companies. If you have a preexisting condition, which is that scarlet letter that so many residents of our country wear, forget about it. Whether you're a citizen or a noncitizen, if you're an individual, the exchange will allow you to pool your risk. The exchange has the buying power that previously has only been enjoyed by large corporations. It allows one to negotiate the very best rates with insurers. Once again, the exchange is not a benefit. It is not a product.

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