Perry Campaign Press Release - "Gov. Romney OKd Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants"

The Los Angeles Times is reporting Mitt Romney's signature achievement while Governor of Massachusetts — Romneycare — includes provisions that allow illegal immigrants to receive full health benefits for free.

According to the L.A. Times, then-Gov. Romney and his administration knew about provisions in the Romneycare that would allow illegal immigrants to receive free health care. The Times reported: "...there was broad understanding when Romney signed it that at least some people who would benefit would be in the country illegally." [1]

"Governor Romney's government-mandated health care plan provided free care for illegal immigrants in Massachusetts, establishing just the kind of illegal immigration magnet Governor Romney claims to oppose," said Perry spokesman Mark Miner. "Program rules established by the Romney Administration in 2004 clearly state that citizenship is not required for free health care and subsidies and health centers cannot consider citizenship before rendering that free care."

Rules adopted by the Romney Administration on May 1, 2004, for Free Care defined eligibility as residency in Massachusetts with no requirement for citizenship. The rules also clearly state that "a Hospital or Community Health Center shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, citizenship... in its policies, or in its application of policies, concerning the acquisition and verification of financial information, pre-admission or pretreatment deposits, payment plans, deferred or rejected admissions, or eligibility for Free Care." [2]

Romneycare, which President Obama's health care takeover was modeled after, has already been shown to have killed 18,000 jobs in Massachusetts and resulted in $8 billion in additional cost to taxpayers. [3, 4]

"When faced with the illegal immigrant benefits this morning, the Romney campaign tried to deny indisputable facts and to cover their tracks by blaming Gov. Patrick," Miner continued. "The truth is Gov. Romney's plan intended to provide free health care to illegal immigrants, and the law and rules he approved were clear about providing free health care to illegal immigrants."

Romney's campaign is falsely claiming that provisions referenced in the Times' story were implemented after Romney left office. [5]

However, the official Massachusetts Free Care website was updated three days after Gov. Romney signed Romneycare into law. Under "Am I eligible?" the site clearly states: "Your citizenship or immigration status does not affect your eligibility." [6]

The Times also reported John McDonough, a former consumer advocate who worked extensively on the healthcare effort in Massachusetts, said: "There is no question that lots of different kinds of people, including undocumented immigrants, obtain medically necessary services as result of this program." [1]

SOURCES

[1] "Gov. Romney OKd healthcare for illegal immigrants." Los Angeles Times, 10/23/11, http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-romney-healthcare-20111024,0,6849099...

[2] 114.6 CMR: Division Of Health Care Finance And Policy, 5/1/04, http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dhcfp/g/regs/114_6_10.pdf

[3] "The High Price of Massachusetts Health Care Reform," The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, June 2011, http://www.beaconhill.org/BHIStudies/HCR-2011/BHIMassHealthCareReform201...

[4] "The Economic Effects of Massachusetts Health Care Reform," The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, Sept. 2011, http://www.beaconhill.org/BHIStudies/HCR-2011/BHIMassHealthCareEcon2011-...

[5] Daily Rundown, NBC, 10/24/11, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VphzX4DumH8

[6] Free Care Overview [updated 4/15/06], www.massresources.org via Internet Wayback Machine, page available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/70097727/Illegals-Eligible-for-Massachusetts-F...