As an immigration inspector at the Douglas, AZ Port of Entry I inspected persons entering the United States for indicators of living illegally in the United States. One distraught Mexican woman pleaded for a permit to go to Phoenix. Her daughter was having brain surgery the next morning for epilepsy. I asked who was paying the medical bill. She said she raised the money from her village in Chihuahua. I found a letter in her purse from the Arizona Health Care Cost-Containment Service (AHCCS) : “Ms. So-and-So,” Congratulations! You have been approved for $145,000.00 in coverage for your diabetes and your daughter’s epilepsy.” She and her family had been living illegally in Phoenix. Apparently AHCCS bureaucrats don’t check legal status before doling out taxpayers’ money. My supervisor was angry. “What would happen to all the AHCCS employees’ jobs if we caught all the illegals on AHCCS!” she screamed. What makes anyone think it will be different with the 300,000 recipients added by Gov. Brewer – or ObamaCare?
In the early ‘90s the state of California posted MediCal auditors at the U.S./Mexican Ports of Entry to cross-check eligibility.. Within three months they had saved several tens of millions of dollars removing illegal aliens from MediCal. A proposal was made by the rest of the southern border state governors to do the same. It died a quiet death. Multiply that by welfare costs in 50 states……or by the potential fraud added to the ridiculously rising costs of ObamaCare. He’s playing Santa Claus again….and he’s winning.
