Healthcare vs. Immigrant Cure

I do not like politics; I don’t like being in it, I don’t like talking about it I don’t like people in it. Yet, this time I am so tempted, and feeling like forced to talk about it. If you have a look at my previous blogs, there are no words for politics; it is all some stories and random fairy tales.

There are two things that are occupying the US media’s agenda: Affordable healthcare act and immigration reform. For most people neither of them worth a word. People take their sides already and keep following what their leader says “it is true”. Those two issues are not really closely related to each other; yet, I am concerned with both as an immigrant who was never been offered healthcare benefits.

What is the new healthcare system bringing to people actually. Main purpose is to have everyone get health insurance. Starting with the new year everyone have to have health insurance by law. Otherwise, you will be getting a penalty. So actually, law says, you don’t have option not to buy insurance. Reason is: Any time an uninsured person is hospitalized, and they cannot afford to pay bills; the bills are paid from other tax-payers pocket, which is a lie as this people bills are not cancelled somehow. They have to go to court defend themselves for not being able to pay the bill and find programs to help them pay it. Those programs are government supported – taxpayers’ money – programs and aims to help people who are having financial troubles.

Overall, this affordable care is actually some innovation for US people. People here do not have any idea how bad the health care system is in the US compared to EU. Employers have no responsibility over taking act on their employees insurance. Even after the new system starts it will not be even close to the systems in EU. I am from a different country, which is not a part of EU, but takes provisions of EU and makes regulations per EU standards. The healthcare system has been much better than here even before any of the standards of EU started to become provision. Just an example: Having and employee in  Turkey not being insured by its employer, is same as having an undocumented immigrant working for you in US, with similar consequences for employer side. Employee has no responsibility on his / her insurance plan payments; it is completely employer responsibility and it includes retirement plan. So, the new healthcare act, aka Obamacare is something Americans will actually like in long term. It is a government plan, in which government will take action where people do not have enough income to pay for their insurance needs, supporting the premiums. However, it is still not fair to make it mandatory to have insurance. People should have some options in a country where such things are not really cheap. I have a problem with the reason behind its being mandatory – If someone is hospitalized and cannot pay the bill, it is paid from other tax payers’ pocket.

I am not a US citizen; I am a “legal immigrant” whose application is still (!) in progress. And at the time of the application, you see an item in one of the papers you sign – Intending immigrant cannot apply for any government benefits, support etc. until the process is completed. I already DO NOT WANT TO have any support from government. I prefer to work, make my own money and living support my family. But, while something is being legal another thing is becoming illegal with another law. Is there a way out? NO! Because, all immigrants are technically 2^nd class people here. Please, people do not get offended; no matter how much respect I receive from many people that I know through my job or my social life; I still do not feel like just like anyone else. Somehow, people make you feel like you are not from here, and you need to stay in your own shell. You do not feel safe against government, unless you have a lawyer who will be talking for you. Government will not step back from abusing you till you spend money on a lawyer. Yes, this makes me clearly feel like, the amount of the justice you will get is equal to amount of the money you have, same as it is for health: the amount of health care you will get is about the amount of money you have, same as education: the quality of the school you are going is related to amount of the money your parents have as much as your brightness. There is no equality of opportunities in this country, just like many other countries. Difference is, here it is so obvious that there is no way you cannot feel it.

There have been rumors about the undocumented immigrants for a while now. Believe it or not, this country needs these people. Even though it is not formally said, I do not see many American citizen over the age of 30 - 35 doing landscaping, working at restaurants, being a bouncer, etc. Everyone is running after their career somehow, and those businesses are being run by people who use people unmercifully. There is so much benefits of having illegal immigrants for both employers and government. For the employers, they have people who most of the time cannot say no to their unfair working conditions because of their status. And they provide a good deal of workforce for the cheapest price they can get. For government, having those people here, there is no need to think about how to have work done, in which citizens have no interest. Have some illegal do it and leave it alone. If they complain, deport them; a fair way of slavery. No matter how much government is losing on unpaid taxes from their income; government is making a lot from having them do so much work.

When I was reading this I laughed. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/us/obama-calls-for-quick-action-on-immigration-and-so-does-a-heckler.html?_r=0 Mr. President mentioned in his reply that, people who work here undocumented are fearful of deportation and this affects their performance! If they are legal and don’t have to think about deportation they can help economy more working more efficiently. Really???? I can accept all other explanations but not this! Do you really not have any idea how those people are working their ass off? And you expect them work harder after giving them legal status? Where is being humanitarian?? Are these people not human beings in your eyes? Why would you accept someone sit around and feed them with food stamps,  help them with unemployment support, and provide cheap housing for them WHILE EXPECTING THOSE HARD WORKING PEOPLE WORK HARDER because they are given a chance!? They will be working hard no matter what you expect them to do; they are not used to be lazy anyways. But, how about some reform about educating people on being as productive as they can be? We are talking about almost 12 million people. No-one can ignore the workforce here. Somehow, those people have to be legalized.  But those, who want to keep them as cheap labor, who do not want them go to school and get better jobs, who have lost their humanity, will continue to resist against the reform.

I have so many friends who are born here. I am not writing all those to be offensive against anyone. I am just trying to make you get out of your shell and look around, the world is not as small as you think it to be. http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/its-thanksgiving-so-we-asked-some-brits-to-label-the-us-stat

I feel like I am hearing some radicals asking, “hey dude, if you don’t like so many things here, why are you trying to live here?” “go home!”

Those people will not change, just ignore them. I am a world citizen.