Rep. Deal to Offer Verification Amendment to House Health Care Bill
(Developing Story) -- Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) is expected to offer an amendment in committee today that would add verification to the House version of the health care reform bill. The Energy and Commerce Committee is considering additional amendments to H.R.3200 that will be combined with the previously approved version of the bill by the Rules Committee.
Verification amendments to the House health care reform bill have been defeated in two separate committees. Rep. Deal had an earlier attempt defeated in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Dean Heller (r-Nev.) had an amendment defeated in the Ways and Means Committee markup.
Both amendments were defeated before the summer recess and before Pres. Obama said that he did not support an extension of health care benefits to illegal aliens. The White House later said it supported a verification requirement, and the first proposal in the Senate includes a verification mechanism.
Without a verification tool, illegal aliens could possibly receive income-based affordability credits and purchase health care on the proposed health care exchange.