Health Care Reform & Illegals: A Free Market Idea

The debate on immigrants & health care reform is really all about one thing: the money. The solution is simple - if they cannot afford to be illegal, then they won't stick around very long. I call this the free market argument.

You have two things to do: Vote with your resources, and encourage the free market.

You have the power to vote with more than just a ballot box slip. It's fast, simple, and very effective. All you do is choose carefully who gets your money, services, time, etc. If a business uses illegals, then go elsewhere. It's that simple. Technically, any service that you use, you "vote" for. This applies to everything from the lawn service to the plumber. All contracts for service, written or unwritten, are opportunities for you to vote. Go ahead & make your choices. If illegals can't get hired because businesses fear a customer walkout, then illegals will either work to become legal, or they will go elsewhere for work. Proof of this is in this economy; simply look at any existing legal American citizens who move because they can no longer find work in their original locations.

If you own a business or are in a position to hire the help, then use that authority to weed out illegals. The law backs you up in some areas. Do your own research and if you see illegals being hired in an area where there is a statute against hiring illegals, then do you duty and report it.

About the free market: It is common knowledge that Illegals already pay an absolute fortune for basic heath care without insurance, & this is what causes them to flood our emergency rooms. Existing market options (insurance companies) need to work with us by insuring illegals at a higher rate in order to prevent the costs of needless ER visits. Also, propose Fast Track programs to your local ER - these programs dedicate some of the ER staff to the most basic problems. This allows other staff to attend to your own serious issues while saving money & labor hours. If illegals can buy in to insurance policies, then they will more likely pay to see regular doctors instead of visiting the ER.

The free market is America's lifeblood, and it can be applied to the immigration & health care reform debate. I propose that we band together and recognize the power of this free market, and that we start using it in our everyday lives.

Source: Amy Barnes (my own ideas, opinions, & observations)