Believe In America.com

butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2269

A Texas legislator wants to challenge the right to automatic U.S. citizenship for babies born to illegal immigrants, cutting them off from receiving state health and education benefits.

But the bill sponsored by State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, that would deny birthright citizenship to those children could end up putting a heavier financial burden on already-overwhelmed public hospitals, increase costs to local taxpayers and create a population of children who do not receive basic medical care or immunizations, state and local health officials said.

One of every four births at public hospitals in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth are to illegal immigrant mothers, officials estimate. The mothers' obstetrics costs are covered through a special Medicaid program. As U.S. citizens, the babies qualify for Medicaid or CHIPS coverage.

If the infants are denied automatic citizenship, however, thousands might not qualify for state or federal reimbursement programs — saddling the public hospitals with the extra costs, said King Hillier, vice president of public policy and government relations with the Harris County Hospital District, which includes Houston. "They would further exacerbate the problem of the uninsured in the state."

continued:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4573480.html