BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the Top Story tonight, we are pleased to have Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico here to tell me where I'm wrong. The senator joins us now from Washington.
Before we get into the nuts and bolts, do you favor the military on the border to stem this illegal immigration from Mexico?
SEN. JEFF BINGAMAN (D), NEW MEXICO: Well, I favor use of the National Guard to assist the Border Patrol where they determine that that's useful. I don't favor the total militarization of the border...
O'REILLY: Why not?
BINGAMAN: ... which I think you're advocating.
O'REILLY: Why not?
BINGAMAN: Well, the military we have always reserved for combat situations, and I think that's a good general policy. We are not at war with Mexico, we're not at war with Canada. To militarize the borders and treat it as though it was some kind of a military engagement, I think, would be a mistake.
O'REILLY: Isn't in the Constitution the mandate of the military to protect the borders of the United States, sir?
BINGAMAN: Well, it's certainly there to protect the borders from armed invasion...
O'REILLY: But not from civilian invasion?
BINGAMAN: I think the tradition and the policy of this government has always been to have the Border Patrol perform that function. I think that's the right agency...
O'REILLY: But they're obviously not...
BINGAMAN: ... to perform that function.
O'REILLY: ... performing it with more than illegal -- more than a million illegal aliens from the south coming over every year. Obviously the Border Patrol cannot do that, sir.
BINGAMAN: Well, I think we need to find a way to help them do that job...
O'REILLY: Yes, and it would be with the military. All right, let's get to your bill.
Now. Why should I, my family, your family, senator, pay for someone who sneaks in this country's kidney dialysis, pregnantly -- pregnant-related medical expenses, why?
BINGAMAN: Well, let me put this in a little perspective, since you've given your view of it. First of all, this is not stealth legislation. Ronald Reagan testified to the Finance Committee here in the Senate in 1972 when he was still governor of Texas (sic) in favor of this legislation. John Ashcroft testified in the House of Representatives in February in favor of this legislation.
So this is not stealth legislation.
The idea here is that local health care providers, hospitals, ambulance services, are called upon, particularly in border communities, to meet medical necessities of people along the border, particularly people, in many cases people that the INS has asked those health care providers to provide service to.
And the federal government should not be prohibited from participating in paying for the cost of that if a state chooses to reimburse those health care providers for doing that.
O'REILLY: All right. But again, why should my family and your family and everybody's family who's watching tonight pay for someone's health care who has snuck into this country?
BINGAMAN: Well, first of all, all the people that we're talking about have not snuck into this country.
O'REILLY: Well, look...
BINGAMAN: Let me give you...
O'REILLY: That's, that's who it covers. If you're here illegally, then you can legally get Medicare, Medicaid, and you know that. We're talking about illegal immigrants here. That's what we're talking about.
BINGAMAN: Let me talk to -- let me just explain to you the specific case that caused me to want to support this legislation.
There's a county on the border between Mexico and New Mexico, Luna County in New Mexico, and they have a issue there where at the border crossing, the Immigration Service calls up the ambulance service in Luna County and says, We have someone here who needs emergency medical care.
They then send the ambulance, pick them up, take them to the hospital in Deming, New Mexico, which is the nearest hospital, provide the emergency medical care, and the federal government, under current law, is prohibited from participating in the payment for any of that service...
O'REILLY: I understand, I understand...
BINGAMAN: ... ambulance or otherwise.
O'REILLY: ... that it's not fair to the local municipalities because the feds won't or can't do their job preventing these people from coming in. I got that.
BINGAMAN: Well, that...
O'REILLY: But it's unfair to me and you and everybody else that I have to pay for somebody who sneaks into the country's medical -- that is flat-out unfair, senator...
BINGAMAN: Well, I must explain...
O'REILLY: ... and I've asked you the question twice. If you could tell me why it is fair, I'm willing to listen. It is unfair when millions of Americans have no health insurance for themselves that we American citizens have to pay $24 billion every year to people who sneak into this country when our elderly can't afford prescription drugs. Can you justify that, senator?
BINGAMAN: Well, I can do this, I can tell you that the Hippocratic Oath is something that I think is a good policy. It's been in place now a couple of thousand years. It basically says when someone needs emergency medical care, a health care provider will provide that...
O'REILLY: That's fine. No problem with that.
BINGAMAN: OK, OK. The question then is, who's going to bear the burden of that when there is a need...
O'REILLY: I would even say the feds should pick up...
BINGAMAN: ... for emergency medical service.
O'REILLY: ... that emergency care, but with a rider. As soon as the care is through, the person gets deported. Would you support that?
BINGAMAN: I have nothing against that. In fact...
O'REILLY: Is that in your bill?
BINGAMAN: No, it's not in the bill...
O'REILLY: Well, why isn't it in your bill...
BINGAMAN: ... but it is the law of the land.
O'REILLY: ... Senator?
BINGAMAN: It is in the law...
O'REILLY: Why isn't it in your bill?
BINGAMAN: I just told you...
O'REILLY: If you put that in your bill...
BINGAMAN: ... it's the law of the land.
O'REILLY: Wait a minute, wait a minute. If you put that in your bill that after the person's treatment, paid for by me and you and every other American, they get deported, then maybe we have something to talk about. But you don't have that in your bill, senator.
BINGAMAN: Look, that is the law of the land. Any illegal immigrant into this country is supposed to be deported...
O'REILLY: Is that law being enforced?
BINGAMAN: ... by the Immigration Service. No, it's not, but that's not...
O'REILLY: All right. Come on!
BINGAMAN: ... the fault of the health care providers...
O'REILLY: It's the fault of people...
BINGAMAN: ... of the community.
O'REILLY: ... with all due respect, like you, senator, in the Senate and the president who refuse to refuse to enforce the law and protect Americans. I'll give you the last word.
BINGAMAN: Well, that's just bunk. You know that's bunk. We're trying to see that the law is enforced. The issue that we're dealing with in this bill is whether or not the health care providers should be given some reimbursement for the costs that they incur in providing emergency care. And I believe that they should, because many of those health care providers are under an ethical obligation to provide that care...
O'REILLY: All right. Senator, we appreciate your point of view, and we'll let the audience decide, and thank you for coming on and explaining it to us.
BINGAMAN: Good talking to you.
On the other, you have the REALITY that they DO show up here, and they are given emergency medical care. So who pays for it?
If the Feds don't that means the burden of consequence for the Feds' failure to control our border falls on local governments, cities and counties, whose budgets just can't support this.
I guess one solution would be for the Federal Government to start taking its job seriously, and police the borders. But despite what you might think from reading here, there isn't the political will to do that for fear of losing the hispanic vote in those states.
Thanks! Now I KNOW what he/she was referring to, and that SOB had just better hide!
g
I'm trying to buy Health Insurance at this moment, and for *great* coverage it's over $300 a month! But lesser coverage is still over $100 a month, and I must then pay every cost out of pocket! Insurance won't even kick in until I spend $5000 in the year...oh, and if I spend $2500 I get the privledge of paying 30% of every bill!!!
Even an emergency will cost me $2500 just to go in!
And I'm an AMERICAN! What will happen when I'm one day a Senior Citizen? My rate schedule shows that coverage goes up $100+ every 10 years and even MORE if I ever use it! Everytime you "use" your insurance you are subject to Re-writing and that means your rates go up!
Right now I'm healthy, so the Insurance Co. takes my money and runs without really paying for anything.
Why should illegal border-crashers be able to go to the ER for free when citizens can't do that? If we go in the ER will send us a BILL! But the bill for illegals will go to the Taxpayers?
Oh, here's a another FUN insurance fact...Medical Coverage is Null and Void for any Terrorist act or spread of radiation.
I wonder if the Insurance Co.'s just added that exclusion after 9-11?
Term limits, how do we get term limits? Can we have a nationwide vote on term limits and bypass the Congress and Senate?