Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK) are proposing legislation that will ban illegal aliens from securing benefits under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, Breitbart News has exclusively learned.
Vance and Brecheen are filing the “No Obamacare for Illegal Aliens Act,” which would undo President Joe Biden’s move to allow illegal aliens enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to obtain Obamacare plans.
“The American taxpayer should never be forced to cover the cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants,” Vance said in a written statement. “It’s common sense: people who break our laws should not reap the benefits of public programs intended for lawful citizens.”
“We should not be providing taxpayer-subsidized healthcare benefits to illegal aliens—it is that simple. HHS’ proposed rule would cost the American taxpayer more than $100 million in its first year alone and would encourage more aliens to enter our country illegally in the hopes of receiving similar benefits,” Brecheen explained.
This is all part of President Biden’s open-border agenda that has so far led 5.5 million aliens to enter our country illegally—more than the population of Oklahoma. I am proud to introduce this legislation with Senator JD Vance of Ohio to protect taxpayer dollars and exclude illegal aliens from further straining critical programs that are intended for Americans and those immigrants here legally,” he added.
The legislation would bar the use of federal taxpayer dollars through Obamacare waivers for providing health insurance coverage for illegal aliens. Two Obamacare waivers would be removed in this case.
Illegal aliens would still be eligible to have emergency services covered by “emergency Medicaid” and covered by protections of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Hawley remarked, “Since taking office, the Biden Administration has pursued countless immigration policies that not only fail to secure our southern border, but also make the immigration crisis worse. We must prioritize working Americans and their well-being—not spend their hard-earned money on healthcare for illegal immigrants.”
In May, Biden proposed a rule to redefine “lawfully present” in Obamacare to allow DACA illegal aliens to enroll in Qualified Health Plans (QHP), which include subsidies meant for low-income Americans, enrollment in the Basic Health Plan (BHP), a subsidized alternative used in New York and Minnesota, and enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP).
WATCH: Joe Biden Announces Plan to Expand Obamacare, Medicaid for DACA Illegal Aliens
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Randy Weber (R-TX), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Reps. Dianne Harshbarger (R-TN), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Eric Burlison (R-MO) are cosponsoring the legislation.
Last week, Vance, Hawley, and other Republicans sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging him to drop the plan altogether.
“Given that more than 25 million Americans are uninsured, we find it unimaginable that the government would prioritize providing illegal aliens with health insurance coverage,” the Republicans wrote.
As a congressman, Becerra tried to push then-President Barack Obama to include benefits for illegal aliens in Obamacare. Obama ultimately decided not to include such a provision and went as far as to vow in his 2012 State of the Union Address that illegal aliens would not be able to secure Obamacare benefits under the law.
ABC News / YouTubeIn early 2021, Becerra told members of Congress during one of his confirmation hearings that the law does not allow for illegal aliens to receive taxpayer benefits, including healthcare coverage.
“Where the law as it stands now as I see it, it does not allow those who are unauthorized in this country to receive taxpayer-paid benefits except in very rare circumstances,” Becerra said at the time.
Prior research has found that offering Obamacare to illegal aliens would cost American taxpayers about $4,600 per illegal alien. Such an estimate indicates that taxpayers could be charged about $2.8 billion every year to provide Obamacare to every DACA illegal alien.
Already, American taxpayers are forced to subsidize at least $18.5 billion of annual medical costs for illegal aliens living in the United States, according to estimates by Chris Conover, formerly of the Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research at Duke University.
While the Biden administration has moved to use waivers to offer Obamacare to illegal aliens, the Donald Trump adminsitration’s use of waivers led to the first drop in Obamacare premiums, according to a Heritage Foundation study.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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