* For Immediate Release *                                                        Media Contact:

   July 25, 2005                                                                Scott Frotman 202-225-8203

GUTIERREZ STATEMENT REGARDING GROUNDBREAKING NEW IMMIGRANT HEALTH CARE STUDY

Congressman calls study an important and compelling counterweight to misleading and misguided anti-immigrant rhetoric and another important example of immigrants' enormous contributions to our country

CHICAGO -- U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, released the following statement today regarding a groundbreaking new Harvard/Columbia University study that appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study shows that health care expenditures are substantially lower for immigrants than for U.S.-born persons and conclusively refutes the assumption that immigrants represent a disproportionate financial burden on the U.S. health care system.

"We constantly hear anti-immigrant extremists, elected officials and media commentators making baseless claims about how immigrants are contributing to our nation's high health care costs. This comprehensive new study shows just how unfounded these allegations are, and I hope it will permanently put to rest these misinformed and misguided myths.

"When you separate fact from fiction as this study does, you see the real picture of our immigrant community. You see hardworking men and women who are actually using half as much care as other Americans, while helping to subsidize the system.

"Similar to how undocumented workers help sustain our Social Security System with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year, these individuals are helping to subsidize our nation's health care system through the taxes they pay.

"I applaud the authors of this study for their invaluable work debunking this anti-immigrant rhetoric and for painting an accurate, thoroughly researched, fact-driven picture of our immigrant community and our nation's health care system."

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Congressman Luis Gutierrez, U.S. House of Representatives  2367 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515  (202) 225-8203 (202) 225-7810 Fax 3455 W. North Avenue Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 384-1655 (773) 384-1685 Fax 1310 W. 18th Street Chicago, IL 60608 (312) 666-3882 (312) 666-3894 Fax

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