According to the Associated Press, after "fact-checking", it found that Obama was doing as some stretching of the truth himself:
Obama was lying, at least according to the Congressional Research Service - which is the fact-checker that matters.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports to Congress on the content of proposed legislation in much the same way as the Congressional Budget Office reports on the financial impact of (among other things) proposed legislation. The CRS is nonpartisan.
On August 25, 2009, the CRS issued a report, titled "Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200", to all members of Congress. The report is only eleven pages long and is available at Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200.
Are illegal aliens going to be allowed to participate in Obama's healthcare program. "Allowed" isn't the word. According to the CRS (and with some minor exceptions), illegal aliens who are in the country for more than 182 days a year for three years in a row are required to have health insurance through a Health Insurance Exchange, which would include the Public Option insurance plan. From the report:
- "unauthorized aliens who qualify as resident aliens (i.e., meet the substantial presence test [Note: essentially, are in the U.S. for 183 or more days out of the current and previous two years]), would be required under H.R. 3200 to have health insurance" (page 2, paragraph 2);
- "H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens participating in the Exchange — whether the noncitizens are legally or illegally present" (page 2, paragraph 3) [meaning, illegal aliens may purchase Public Option insurance]
- "aliens who could be classified as resident aliens [Note: are in the country 183 or more days out of the current and previous two years] would be required under the bill to have health insurance" (page 2, paragraph 3)
- "all . . . unauthorized aliens who meet the substantial presence test [Note: the 183-day test] would be required to obtain health insurance" (page 7, paragraph 1);
- "it would appear that unauthorized aliens who meet the substantial presence test [Note: the 183-day test] would be required under H.R. 3200 to have health insurance" (page 7, paragraph 1);
- "H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens—whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently—participating in the Exchange [Note: the Exchange includes the Public Option]" (page 7, paragraph 2);
- "H.R. 3200 would only mandate that resident aliens [Note: a defined term that includes illegal aliens who are meet the 183-day test] would be required to have health insurance" (page 7, paragraph 2);
- "Some have expressed concerns that since H.R. 3200 does not contain a mechanism to verify immigration status, the prohibitions on certain noncitizens (e.g, nonimmigrants and unauthorized aliens) receiving the credits may not be enforced. ... [A]bsent of a provision in the bill specifying the verification procedure, that the [Health Choices] Commissioner would be responsible for determining a mechanism to verify the eligibility of noncitizens for the credits" (page 8, paragraph 4; page 9, paragraph 1);
- Based on changes made by the bill to the Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program, "aliens who are otherwise eligible for Medicaid except for their immigration status (e.g., unauthorized aliens . . .) may receive 'medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security Act ... for care and emergency services that are necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition (as defined in Section 1903(v)(3) of such Act) of the alien involved and are not related to an organ transplant procedure' [Note: They're eligible for that emergency Medicaid care for five years]" (page 10, paragraph 2).
So . . . did Obama lie? He had access to this report for more than two weeks before he gave his speech. According to the analysis of H.R. 3200 by the body Congress trusts to analyze its legislation, illegal aliens are allowed to purchase Public Option insurance (shoot, they are REQUIRED to buy insurance if they've been in the country for 183 days or more each of the last three years. And the only bar to illegal aliens receiving credits to do so is IF the Health Choices Commissioner institutes guidelines to prevent them from doing so. According to the CRS, illegal aliens can receive emergency Medicaid for up to five years under H.R. 3200.
Did Obama lie? Well . . . his lips were moving.
