Stephanie Armour
Vice President Kamala Harris “endorsed free taxpayer-funded government health care for all illegal aliens.”
Former President Donald Trump, July 24, in a speech at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Attacking Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration, Republicans and allies of former Donald President Trump’s are saying the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate supported utilizing taxpayer {dollars} to offer free well being protection to immigrants who’re within the nation with out authorized permission.
Senate and House candidates, an American political motion committee supporting Trump, and the Republican National Committee have made related assertions in current days.
We contacted the Trump and Harris campaigns for remark about Trump’s assertion, however neither responded.
The claims are deceptive. It’s true that Harris supported permitting immigrants residing within the U.S. to acquire public medical health insurance no matter authorized standing. During the primary 2019 Democratic presidential main debate in Miami, Kamala Harris raised her hand when a moderator requested candidates to boost their fingers if their administration’s well being plan would cowl immigrants who’re within the nation illegally.
But that doesn’t imply Harris particularly mentioned she supported taxpayer funding for the advantages or that the well being protection can be free.
PolitiFact has checked related claims Republicans and Trump made in 2019 and located them Mostly False. The moderator didn’t ask Harris and the opposite candidates straight whether or not their plans would supply the protection freed from cost or with taxpayer cash, so the declare is unsubstantiated.
Recently, Republicans have pointed to statements Harris made in 2019 whereas working for president to painting her as supporting giving public advantages to immigrants residing within the nation illegally. Specifically, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Harris whether or not her “Medicare for All” plan would cowl such immigrants.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee on July 23 posted on the social platform X a clip of the interview with the message: “FLASHBACK: Kamala Harris tells Jake Tapper she endorses universal healthcare and Medicare-for-all for illegal immigrants.”
But that clip doesn’t present her saying that. Instead, in response to a query about whether or not Medicare for All ought to apply to folks within the nation illegally, she mentioned, “I am opposed to any policy that would deny in our country any human being from access to public safety, public education, or public health, period.” Tapper didn’t ask the rest about this.
Medicare for All is a system, promoted by some Democrats, wherein all Americans would get their medical health insurance from a authorities program modeled after the one which at present covers folks 65 and older and other people with disabilities.
Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which turned regulation in 1986, all sufferers no matter citizenship or immigration standing are already entitled to therapy in hospital emergency rooms.
Some anti-immigration teams say they nonetheless consider Harris helps taxpayer-paid well being advantages for immigrants missing authorized residency.
“Instead of pushing back, she at the very least implicitly endorses Medicare for illegal aliens,” mentioned Joey Chester, a spokesperson for Federation for American Immigration Reform, a bunch that seeks to scale back general immigration. That she raised her hand throughout the 2019 debate means her place is to offer taxpayer-funded well being care advantages to people who find themselves within the nation illegally, he added.
Harris’ proposal would have offered complete medical health insurance to all Americans. But it was not all free. She would have allowed Americans to instantly purchase into this system whereas increasing it over 10 years. The plan she produced was much like present Medicare, wherein folks can purchase plans that the federal authorities or personal insurers administer.
A ten-year phase-in would mechanically enroll newborns and uninsured folks. But her proposal didn’t break down how it might pay for protection of recipients residing within the U.S. with out authorization.
Harris wrote in a 2019 article on Medium that “good options” to pay for Medicare for All plans embrace an income-based premium by employers, larger taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, taxing Wall Street trades, and financial savings from accelerating well being care-delivery system reforms and modifications in the best way suppliers are paid.
California, the place Harris served as lawyer basic from 2011 to 2017, was the primary state this 12 months to broaden Medicaid eligibility to all certified immigrants no matter authorized standing, phasing it in over a number of years. Medicaid is a federal-state well being program that gives well being protection to low-income and disabled adults.
The California program for immigrants is funded nearly completely by state {dollars}, in response to the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit analysis establishment. Federal regulation usually bans states from utilizing federal cash to pay for well being protection for immigrants residing within the nation with out authorized permission.
However, taxpayers can bear the brunt of uncompensated care, when folks with out insurance coverage — together with immigrants missing authorized residency — search care at hospitals or from different suppliers. The prices are handed on to different customers within the type of larger costs and are thought of a drain on state and native authorities budgets.
“Government payments are the main source for helping to defray providers’ costs for care to the uninsured, and those government payments are ultimately funded by taxpayers,” mentioned Laurel Lucia, well being care program director on the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education Center, which offers analysis and coverage info.
Immigrants who’re within the nation illegally additionally pay billions of {dollars} in taxes.
“If she does support subsidized coverage for noncitizens, I’d see that as a good thing, not a bad thing,” mentioned Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “Many recent immigrants are taking care of our children, our elderly, working in hospitality, food service, and food production. Isn’t it in our best interests for these folks to have access to good health care?”
Our Ruling
Republicans have sought to painting Harris as excessive on immigration and assert that she helps free, taxpayer-funded well being advantages for immigrants who’re within the nation illegally.
Harris signaled in 2019 that her Medicare for All proposal would cowl all immigrants no matter standing. She has additionally mentioned that she would oppose any coverage that might deny anybody within the nation entry to “public health.” However, well being coverage and immigration consultants say there’s no proof she would supply the protection free, paid for by different taxpayers. Immigrants missing authorized residency additionally pay taxes.
Harris has not expressly mentioned she helps free, taxpayer-supported well being protection for immigrants residing within the U.S. illegally.
Trump’s assertion accommodates a component of fact however ignores important information that might give a distinct impression. We charge this declare Mostly False.
Sources
YouTube, former President Donald Trump rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 24, 2024.
YouTube, Democratic presidential primary debate in Miami, June 27, 2019.
X, Republican National Committee post of Jake Tapper’s State of the Union interview with Kamala Harris, remarking on immigrant well being care, July 23, 2024.
Email interview with Edwin Park, analysis professor on the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, July 24 and July 25, 2024.
Email interview with Sabrina Corlette, analysis professor, founder, and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, July 25, 2024.
Email interview with Laurel Lucia, well being care program director on the University of California-Berkeley Labor Center, July 24 and 25, 2024.
Email interview with Joey Chester, spokesperson, Federation for American Immigration Reform, July 25, 2024.
PolitiFact, “Fact-Checking Trump Ad on Democrats, Health Care for Immigrants Illegally in the Country,” Aug. 1, 2019.
PolitiFact, “Florida GOP Chair Twists’ Response by Democrats at Debate on Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants,” Nov. 8, 2019.
Medium, “Kamala Harris: My Plan for Medicare for All,” July 29, 2019.
American Immigration Council, “Adding Up the Billions in Tax Dollars Paid by Undocumented Immigrants,” April 4, 2016.
