The Politics of Health Care - 3 of 4

The Politics of Health Care – 3 of 4
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.com – Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Accuracy in Media: Fairness, Balance, and Accuracy in News reporting is a responsible news outlet. Let’s check out their blog and YOU DECIDE:

http://www.aim-column/catholic-bishops-lobby-for-obamacare-annesty-for-illegals/
AIM Column by Cliff Kinkaid January 27, 2010

Calling health care a “right” to be guaranteed by the federal government, America’s Catholic Bishops are trying to save ObamaCare at a time when the legislation has been pronounced in limbo, dying or dead by the media.

The evidence of intensive Catholic Bishop lobbying activity suggests that liberal Congressional leaders are going to give the legislation a temporary respite so that liberal Catholics can be persuaded to pressure Congress to pass both national health care legislation and “comprehensive immigration reform” in the form of H.R. 4321, the “Comprehensive immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity” Act.

As AIM has documented, lobbying by the Catholic Bishops and their representatives, who worked closely with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, guaranteed passage of the health care bill in the House.

In a January 13 conference call and briefing, Kevin Appleby, a representative of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, explained in frank language why the Bishops are so desperate to pass the healthcare and immigration bills. He said the bishops want a federal health plan to absorb the cost being borne by the nation’s 600 Catholic hospitals to cover illegal aliens.

Appleby said, “We have Catholic hospitals throughout the country that experience the same things that Alan was describing and we serve undocumented immigrants in our emergency rooms and community clinics, etc. So we have a stake in this in that the burden will fall not just on our providers but as Alan described taxpayers throughout the country.”

This was one of the clearest indications yet that support for national health care legislation is a means by which the Bishops can dump some of the costs of operating Catholic hospitals on the American.

The reference to “Alan” was to Alan Aviles, President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, another person on the telephone conference call.

Just four days after the annual January 22 March for Life, which featured many Catholic Bishops standing shoulder-to-shoulder with conservative members of Congress against President Obama’s pro-abortion policies, the Bishops have returned to their liberal ways, firing off a letter to Congress complaining that National Health Care Bills pending in the House and Senate aren’t far-reaching enough. While the Bishops want the ultimate legislation to include “prohibition on abortion funding,” prohibitions on abortion funding,” they also want it expanded to include millions of more people, including illegal aliens… to be continued

George H. Kubeck, Today is the Feast of St. Blasé, Bishop and Martyr