Rep. Steve King Says Asking Hospital Patients Their Immigration Status Would Not Be Going ‘Too Far’ (illegal aliens, Mexico)
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But the problem is:
1. They can't "screen for illegals" in terms of emergency care. That is not possible - They are forced to pay for the emergency care of illegals.
2. They can "screen for illegals" in terms of non-emergency care.
3. But some hospitals decided that "screening for illegals" for non-emergency care will burden it with more costs. So it's cheaper for them not to screen for illegals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by All American NYC
Now you agree it cost something to treat illegals.
If the hospitals don't want to foot illegals bill, then let them screen for illegals.
But the problem is:
1. They can't "screen for illegals" in terms of emergency care. That is not possible - They are forced to pay for the emergency care of illegals.
2. They can "screen for illegals" in terms of non-emergency care.
3. But some hospitals decided that "screening for illegals" for non-emergency care will burden it with more costs. So it's cheaper for them not to screen for illegals.
Every time I go to the hospital for an emergency I am always ask for my insurance first. I ma sure they can do the same when they screen for my insurance.
What I mean is - They have to treat emergency cases, whether or not somebody has insurance, whether or not it's an illegal -
For instance: the news article says "Under a 1986 federal law, called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, pregnant women cannot be turned away by a hospital if they are in need of emergency help, such as being in labor. Hospitals that deny care to such patients face a $50,000 fine and termination from the Medicare program. "
Quote:
Originally Posted by All American NYC
Every time I go to the hospital for an emergency I am always ask for my insurance first. I ma sure they can do the same when they screen for my insurance.
Hospitals are in dire straits one reason is caring for illegals. Another is Obama expanding Medicaid eligibility. Since Medicaid and Medicare pays only 80-85% of the cost of providing care. Hospitals have to either make up the difference from private insurance companies or make cuts. If you are a hospital that serves illegals and Medicaid patients good chance you are heading into bankruptcy.
Hospitals already ask for citizenship in a roundabout way. They'll ask for social security numbers, id etc. It is very important for hospitals to get all the identifying information they can in order to collect.
Hospitals are in dire straits one reason is caring for illegals. Another is Obama expanding Medicaid eligibility. Since Medicaid and Medicare pays only 80-85% of the cost of providing care. Hospitals have to either make up the difference from private insurance companies or make cuts. If you are a hospital that serves illegals and Medicaid patients good chance you are heading into bankruptcy.
Hospitals already ask for citizenship in a roundabout way. They'll ask for social security numbers, id etc. It is very important for hospitals to get all the identifying information they can in order to collect.
What I mean is - They have to treat emergency cases, whether or not somebody has insurance, whether or not it's an illegal -
For instance: the news article says "Under a 1986 federal law, called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, pregnant women cannot be turned away by a hospital if they are in need of emergency help, such as being in labor. Hospitals that deny care to such patients face a $50,000 fine and termination from the Medicare program. "
The only thing - these women had 9 months to know about their "emergency" and of course pack up a few things and head on over knowing their "emergency" will bring them food stamps, WIC, Medicaid and much much more for the rest of their lives.
There needs to be a change in how things are done. Instead of giving them US birth certificates and life-long welfare handouts, let them give birth and then be sent home in an INS van.
Also many of these "emergencies" wait over in a border town until they know they cannot be sent away. Patients with leukemia for example will wait in Mexico not getting treatment until their counts make them "emergencies" and then they head on over to a US Emergency room where they will not only be given emergency care but chemotherapy and all the rest after they are admitted.
Emergency rooms have to admit patients and then all the costly MRIs, bone scans, lab tests, and treatments then are given.
It would be one thing if these people showed up to an emergency room and were only stabilized for their return home where they could obtain their followup care.
That's why this has all turned into such a farce and they are playing the system (with some help).
Firstly births don't happen cleanly at nine months. Sometimes it happens a little earlier than expected.
And policy wise exactly what would you propose?
"Patients with leukemia for example will wait in Mexico not getting treatment until their counts make them "emergencies" and then they head on over to a US Emergency room where they will not only be given emergency care but chemotherapy and all the rest after they are admitted." - How would they get across? Are they smuggled across? Or do they try to enter legally?
"It would be one thing if these people showed up to an emergency room and were only stabilized for their return home where they could obtain their followup care. " - From my understanding, if an illegal is found an if he/she has a long term illness, but the home country has facilities to treat it, the illegal will be deported. If not, then the illegals stays - i.e. Zeituni Oyango
Quote:
Originally Posted by malamute
The only thing - these women had 9 months to know about their "emergency" and of course pack up a few things and head on over knowing their "emergency" will bring them food stamps, WIC, Medicaid and much much more for the rest of their lives.
There needs to be a change in how things are done. Instead of giving them US birth certificates and life-long welfare handouts, let them give birth and then be sent home in an INS van.
Also many of these "emergencies" wait over in a border town until they know they cannot be sent away. Patients with leukemia for example will wait in Mexico not getting treatment until their counts make them "emergencies" and then they head on over to a US Emergency room where they will not only be given emergency care but chemotherapy and all the rest after they are admitted.
Emergency rooms have to admit patients and then all the costly MRIs, bone scans, lab tests, and treatments then are given.
It would be one thing if these people showed up to an emergency room and were only stabilized for their return home where they could obtain their followup care.
That's why this has all turned into such a farce and they are playing the system (with some help).
Firstly births don't happen cleanly at nine months. Sometimes it happens a little earlier than expected.
And policy wise exactly what would you propose?
"Patients with leukemia for example will wait in Mexico not getting treatment until their counts make them "emergencies" and then they head on over to a US Emergency room where they will not only be given emergency care but chemotherapy and all the rest after they are admitted." - How would they get across? Are they smuggled across? Or do they try to enter legally?
"It would be one thing if these people showed up to an emergency room and were only stabilized for their return home where they could obtain their followup care. " - From my understanding, if an illegal is found an if he/she has a long term illness, but the home country has facilities to treat it, the illegal will be deported. If not, then the illegals stays - i.e. Zeituni Oyango
Policy-wise, American citizens are being denied health care while illegals can come over and expect to be given every service possible.
No American should be turned away from a hospital when foreigners are playing the system -- but our government is out of money, we cannot keep being the free hospital of the whole world.
If nothing else, take the money out of all the government aid being provided the countries of origin. We need to have Mexico pay for the free health care of it's citizens.
But I asked what changes would you propose? It's one thing to say there's a problem. Its another to suggest a solution.
Firstly you say "Policy-wise, American citizens are being denied health care while illegals can come over and expect to be given every service possible." - Do you mean non-emergency health care? Illegals can at best have no more access to non emergency care than Americans have. Illegals often are uninsured, making access more difficult. As you know, some hospital districts deny illegals from non-emergency care.
And in the case of "emergencies" a hospital would be forced to treat an American, just like it would be forced to treat an illegal.
"If nothing else, take the money out of all the government aid being provided the countries of origin. We need to have Mexico pay for the free health care of it's citizens." - Government aid is a form of power the US exerts over other countries. Would the US really withdraw all aid just because a few people from other countries take advantage of the system? The US has to worry about influence of other countries?
Quote:
Originally Posted by malamute
Policy-wise, American citizens are being denied health care while illegals can come over and expect to be given every service possible.
No American should be turned away from a hospital when foreigners are playing the system -- but our government is out of money, we cannot keep being the free hospital of the whole world.
If nothing else, take the money out of all the government aid being provided the countries of origin. We need to have Mexico pay for the free health care of it's citizens.
But I asked what changes would you propose? It's one thing to say there's a problem. Its another to suggest a solution.
Firstly you say "Policy-wise, American citizens are being denied health care while illegals can come over and expect to be given every service possible." - Do you mean non-emergency health care? Illegals can at best have no more access to non emergency care than Americans have. Illegals often are uninsured, making access more difficult. As you know, some hospital districts deny illegals from non-emergency care.
And in the case of "emergencies" a hospital would be forced to treat an American, just like it would be forced to treat an illegal.
"If nothing else, take the money out of all the government aid being provided the countries of origin. We need to have Mexico pay for the free health care of it's citizens." - Government aid is a form of power the US exerts over other countries. Would the US really withdraw all aid just because a few people from other countries take advantage of the system? The US has to worry about influence of other countries?
In the case of Mexico, it's far more than a few people coming over for government provided health care.
Non-emergency care is not so easily defined for one. If a patient shows up in the Emergency Room and lab tests show severe anemia and low platelets, the hospital will have to admit him. And that goes for illegals. Now it's not emergency care but that illegal will have very costly work-ups done and treatments including all the chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
There is no process in place to send illegals back after their emergency room visits show they should be admitted into a hospital. This is how they end up on dialysis and chemotherapy -- here.
I would propose stabilizing them and then getting them back to their own countries for their hospital admission and followup care. Including the women coming to give birth, a different kind of birth certificate that doesn't give automatic US citizenship and welfare handouts, when she leaves the labor room, she's on a bus heading to take her back over the border.
If a patient has severe anemia and is bleeding, then give the patient some blood and stop the bleeding and same thing - back home they go for whatever followup is needed.
Ambulances from Mexico cross over all the time to bring in emergency patients -- so why not insist that our ambulances can return them once the emergency care has been given?
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