Finally, some common sense on the issue of health reform and "illegal immigrants"

Naomi Freundlich at Health Beat writes about Health Reform At The Expense of Immigrants.

“Under President Obama's plan, undocumented immigrants would not be allowed to enter the exchange. People who are lawfully present in this country would be able to participate in the exchange.”

That statement, which echoes a provision that is included in the newly-released Senate Finance Committee’s version of health reform, means that even undocumented workers who want to pay out of pocket for health insurance—with no government subsidy—will be denied access to the exchanges.

This is a short-sighted political move that is designed clearly to pander to the Conservatives who have dredged up the illegal immigrant issue (along with abortion and end-of-life counseling) in an attempt to block any version of health care reform. It won’t garner more support for reform legislation, it eliminates cost-savings and it moves us further from the stated goal of being a compassionate nation.

Freundlich points out that discouraging anyone from buying health insurance drives up the cost of health care for everyone by discouraging preventive care and encouraging expensive emergency room visits. Plus, the more stringent citizenship verification requirements in the Senate Finance Committee bill would drive up administrative costs.

I find myself wanting to quote a lot more of this clear-sighted and compassionate post. It's not very long. Why not read the whole thing for yourself?