Senate moves to ensure illegal immigrants don't get federal benefits

"Democrats, for their part, say that demanding more proof of identity would deter low-income American citizens from buying health insurance."

So let me understand this: we should create a program funded by our tax dollars around the preferences of people who are not comfortable providing identification? For what valid reason would they refuse? This looks to me like the loophole to cover unregistered visitors, who want to remain anonymous so they don't get deported.

Thanks to Joe Wilson for his outburst. Maybe it was out of order but it was juat what was needed to get Congress in agreement that there needs to be some sort of verification for illegals. Obama may not have lied but he didn't tell the whole truth either. Typical gov't double-speak.

As a nurse who has worked in Emergency Rooms, I see an imasge hovering at the back of my eyes. A young hispanic appearing person hemorrhaging from a gun shot wound is brought to an ER without any identification, surgery is required to save his life, any hesitation will cost that. What do we do?
It seems to me that the prudent thing would be to save this human being's life - after all, he could be the son of the Ambassador from Equador to America. The surgery is successful, and he lives.
As soon as it is medically feasible, his identity is confirmed. He is a typical illegal alien from Mexico with no personal financial resources. His injury occurred as a result of gang activity here in the USA, when he was mistaken as the target of a gang's angst, or an innocent bystander caught in the gunfire of a random shooting.
The gangs are a product of American society, the person is the product of insufficiently guarded borders and our neighboring country's "inability to provide employment" for its citizens.
The predicament is determined to be due to "wrong place, wrong time" (no documentation to be here).
Several payers of the hospital's bill for half a million dollars or so come to mind. The first being Mexico's government. They refuse, as they certainly had no knowledge of that individual's location.
USA's bill for health care states clearly that we aren't responsible for payment. Certainly the patient has no means or future earning possibilities, except for further illegal employment. After all, he was here to earn enough money to provide sustinence for his family in Mexico. Can we impose a jail sentence to be over when the patient earns enough through labor provided there, to pay his hospital bill.
Another prospect could be the existing charitable resources for non paying patients, but due to the extent of violence in America and the number of resultant victims here illegally, that fund has been exhausted.......
The gang that caused the mayhem has disappeared, gone further underground so they can't be made to take responsibility. Millions of dollars for "legal beagles" involved in the pusuit of payment for the hospital have been incurred.....
So about 10 years from the above incident another bill is passed (opposition to illegal immigration having diminished by then); and American funds are budgeted to cover such circumstances.

"Democrats, for their part, say that demanding more proof of identity would deter low-income American citizens from buying health insurance."

Then they don't want (or need, apparently) the insurance very badly and we don't want (or need, definitely!) this type of healthcare reform! Typical Democrat ideology - give something for nothing and don't affend the person you are giving it to and darn sure don't ask them to do anything to earn it.

Joe Wilson did a great thing exposing the president's omission of the full truth. He is a hero.

"Democrats, for their part, say that demanding more proof of identity would deter low-income American citizens from buying health insurance."

This statement is complete nonesense. Just another lie that if they keep repeating and repeating over and over, simple minds will begin to accept as fact, because they've heard it before.