In response to your citing of the government's study of Medicaid enrollments in six states and finding only eight illegal immigrants, I wish to point out that the "six" states-- Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin (can a reporter count?) do not reflect your position that illegals are not a health-care budget buster. Let's study where the real problems are such as the border states to Mexico. "The Amercian people", a phrase Ted Kennedy liked to say, have overwhelmingly stated their position on illegals--no handouts, no medical care, no benefits and no living in the U.S. You say Obama is seriously cracking down on illegals yet the numbers quoted for needed healthcare coverage continue to include the illegals. Obama ran on a platform to assimilate illegals, a ploy to get legals to vote for him. Don't exclude the Medicaid population from healthcare reform. Most of these people have abused the system for years, if not for generations. The Medicaid population continue to use expensive emergency rooms for primary care, continue to choose unhealthy lifestyles, and just like some of those who do not qualify for Medicaid yet don't have health insurance, choose the cell phone, clothes, manicures, and jewelry as more important while piling on the bills of healthcare onto the backs of the taxpayers. Iam not stereotyping them...they stereotype themselves. You want healthcare reform? Start with TORT reform. Oh, I temporarily forgot...Washington is full of lawyers. Then work on those who abuse the system...after all, is healthcare really a right?

Re: Carol Walton

It's true, Obama has cracked down on illegal immigration (in the next few weeks he's putting actual National Guard soldiers on certain border state borders) more than any previous president, period. To say that MOST of the people on Medicaid have abused the system for years? Where do you get your stats on that? Can you show me studies? While there is fraud in every system, to make the claim that "most" do is ludicrous. Medicaid populations DO NOT use emergency rooms for primary care, they have MEDICAID...why would they need to do that? The people that do use ERs for primary care are people who have no medical insurance at all. Millions of people across this country, the vast majority being "white" and not illegals. I have seen studies on this. And this Republican talking point you use, Tort Reform...even if you were to enact everything that the Republicans wanted on Tort Reform...this would be just a fraction of extra money...compared to the big entitlement programs like Medicare, etc...And Medicare is a very, very popular program with Republicans and Dems alike. Why not start bringing back soldiers on bases like Germany, Japan, etc etc...and bring our soldiers back from Iraq...if you want to start saving real money...The money you'd save on Tort reform is a joke compared to all that.