WASHINGTON AND LOS ANGELES — Key members of the Senate Finance Committee moved Friday to quell the latest furor over President Obama's healthcare overhaul, discussing added identification and enforcement requirements intended to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving federal benefits.
Committee members ended their closed-door deliberations without reaching agreement on a response, but they are scheduled to work into the weekend.
The concern is whether the proposals being worked out by congressional Democrats with Obama's support would make benefits available directly or indirectly to people who are in the United States illegally.
The controversy centers primarily on plans to provide government funds to help low-income workers get affordable insurance coverage.
Though drafters of the evolving healthcare bills have been considering the issue for months, it was catapulted into the national spotlight Wednesday night during Obama's address to a joint session of Congress.
When the president said that his blueprint would not aid illegal immigrants, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted, "You lie!" Wilson has since apologized for his breach of congressional courtesy, but the episode touched off a vociferous debate over the issue.
Democrats note that both the House and Senate versions of the bill already contain language that specifically bars illegal immigrants from receiving federal help to purchase healthcare coverage.
Republicans counter that a written ban means little without tough enforcement provisions, which they say Democrats have refused to include. At their meeting Friday, members of the Senate Finance Committee discussed adding enforcement safeguards to their bill, which will be presented as soon as Tuesday.
It is unclear what such provisions should be, and whether they would guarantee that no illegal immigrants receive subsidized insurance.
Under the Democrats' plans, the government would subsidize the expansion of insurance coverage in two ways.
First, the Medicaid program, which covers healthcare for the poor, would be expanded to include those whose income is just above the poverty level. Since 2006, new participants in Medicaid have been required to prove that they are U.S. citizens or eligible legal residents by supplying a passport, a U.S. birth certificate or other official documents.
The verification rules would apply to the expanded Medicaid program under the Democrats' proposals.
