Proof: Joe Wilson was right

Well well well... Here's the smoking gun PROVING that Joe Wilson was right and that Obama LIED. And best of all, it comes from that esteemed organization that Leftists and Marxists love to hold up as the epitome of impartiality, the Congressional Research Service.

Enough lead in, here's the smoking gun. Please see page 4 of the document (PDF page 7), the section entitled "Exchange". Specifically, these words:

Given this, Mr. President, Madame Speaker, I hereby demand you retract your condemnation of Representative Wilson and sponsor a House action to REMOVE the censure of Rep. Wilson, admitting your own duplicity and politicization of this accurate charge.

I posted several times on this issue immediately after Wilson's outburst. Here's a repeated post from September 11:

Yes, illegal aliens will be able to buy the Public Option insurance (just as they are already able to buy health insurance today).

What nobody in media, the Congress, or the White House wants to point out is that illegal aliens who've been in the country for 31 days this year and at least 183 days total over the last three years) WILL BE REQUIRED to purchase health care insurance and will have access to the Public Option.

My source? The Congressional Research Service (CRS), which is part of the government and reports to Congress on the content of 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.

It's important to understand one defined term: "resident alien." That term is not defined in immigration law, but in tax law (and in the report, if you care to read it). A resident alien includes an illegal alien IF the illegal alien has been in the U.S. for at least 31 days during the current year and for at least 183 days during the past three years.

According to the report prepared for members of Congress by its own analytical and reporting body:

"unauthorized aliens who qualify as resident aliens . . . would be required under H.R. 3200 to have health insurance" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 2, paragraph 2, Aug. 25, 2009);
"H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens participating in the {Health Insurance Exchange] — whether the noncitizens are legally or illegally present" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 2, paragraph 3, Aug. 25, 2009);
"aliens who could be classified as resident aliens would be required under the bill to have health insurance" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 2, paragraph 3, Aug. 25, 2009);
"all . . . unauthorized aliens who meet the substantial presence test [Note: that's the 31/183-day test to be considered a resident alien] would be required to obtain health insurance" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 7, paragraph 1, Aug. 25, 2009);
"it would appear that unauthorized aliens who meet the substantial presence test [Note: again, the 31/183-day test] would be required under H.R. 3200 to have health insurance" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 7, paragraph 1, Aug. 25, 2009);
"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 [Health Insurance Exchange" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 7, paragraph 2, Aug. 25, 2009);
"H.R. 3200 would . . . mandate that resident aliens would be required to have health insurance [in other words, NEW illegal aliens wouldn't have to buy health insurance, only those who meet the 31/183-day test[" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 7, paragraph 2, Aug. 25, 2009);

Of course, all the media fact-checkers have assured us that illegal aliens won't be able to get credits to buy Public Option health insurance. Certainly Congress' own fact-check service -- made up of professionals who read and analyze legislation for a living, not journalists -- agree with those media fact checkers, right? Well . . . not so fast. The Congressional Research Service says those protections aren't in place yet, and it will all depend on what restrictions the Health Choices Commissioner (a person appointed by the President and one of the 50+ new government healthcare commissioners, agencies, and boards created by H.R. 3200) puts in place. Am I joking? Read what the CRS says for yourself:

"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, the [Health Choices] Commissioner would be responsible for determining a mechanism to verify the eligibility of noncitizens for the credits" (Source: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Congressional Research Service, page 8, paragraph 4; page 9, paragraph 1, Aug. 25, 2009);

Oh. And according to the CRS, H.R. 3200 pemits illegal aliens to receive "emergency Medicaid services" (other than organ transplant services) for up to five years, if they would have qualified for Medicaid but for the fact that they are illegal aliens. But don't get me started on that; that's another matter and you can read it for yourself.

One of the most interesting things to me is this: Not only are illegal aliens allowed to participate in the Exchange under H.R. 3200. H.R. 3200 REQUIRES illegal aliens to buy health insurance if they've been in the U.S. for at least 31 days during this year and at least 183 days total over the last three years.

You would think that La Raza and poverty rights groups would be up in arms about low income illegal aliens having to buy health care insurance -- particularly because the credits available to low income citizens aren't available to illegals.

Unless, of course, somebody in the Administration has already alerted them not to worry -- because the requirement won't be enforced, or because financial support will be available to them, or because healthcare will be available to illegal aliens, or because they will be made citizens by then.

What other explanations exist?

The obligation -- not privilege, but obligation -- to buy insurance is clear and plain. Why isn't La Raza up in arms?

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