Farmworkers Deserve Health Care Reform -- Regardless of Immigration Status
Written by Bruce Goldstein Thursday, 10 September 2009 18:38
Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst, claiming that President Obama lied about undocumented workers not being eligible for health care reform propsoals, skips past the real issue. The health care system reforms should address how undocumented workers are going to get health care. [Join the Facebook Group: Undocumented Workers Deserve Health Care Reform]
Look at farmworkers. They work hard for low wages; their employers don't offer health insurance; and they can't afford health insurance or most health care. Farm work is among the three most dangerous jobs in the country.
We've allowed conditions in agriculture to be so unattractive and our immigration system to break down so badly, that one-half or more of farmworkers are undocumented -- they are not authorized to work in the U.S.
They need health care and they deserve it. It doesn't make sense to isolate these farmworkers from the health care system. We're all going to pay for their health care at some point, probably when they are incredibly ill because they didn't have the money to go to a doctor or hospital at before their injury or illness worsened. The system should include them. And shouldn't we give access to doctors to the farmworkers' kids?
Giving undocumented farmworkers access to affordable health care would be moral, humane, sensible from a public health perspective, and smart from a labor relations standpoint: we need healthy farmworkers to cultivate and harvest our crops.
So, Joe Wilson, we only wish that Congress was willing to include undocumented workers in the health care reforms.
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