Posted on 02/14/2008 4:44:46 PM PST by BurbankKarl
Los Angeles County healthcare officials unveiled a draft cost-cutting plan Wednesday that calls for closing all but one of the county's dozen clinics and reduces services at its six comprehensive outpatient health centers.
Officials said a $195-million deficit makes the cuts necessary even under a "best-case scenario" for the badly strapped public healthcare system. The county faces the threat of more reductions in state and federal aid in the next few months. Health department officials have privately floated the possibility of deeper cuts if the projected deficit grows.
The current proposal, if approved by the Board of Supervisors, would dramatically retreat from the county's longtime role in providing primary care to the indigent. The clinics and comprehensive centers get about 400,000 primary care visits a year, nearly two-thirds from uninsured patients.
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Norma Parada, 23, a legal immigrant from Mexico who is uninsured, was one such patient. On Wednesday she was paying her first visit to the Glendale Health Clinic to see a doctor about getting medication for her kidneys. Parada, who had a kidney transplant in 2001, had previously gone to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar for medical care.
Parada said she takes 15 pills a day for her kidneys and that her medication costs about $5,000 a month, paid by the county.
Frustrated by the constant lines and long waits at Olive View, Parada asked where she could go that was closer to her North Hollywood residence and was referred to the Glendale clinic. "If they close," said Parada, a part-time delivery driver for Papa John's Pizza, "I know I'll just be back in that line at Olive View."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Why don’t they just issue FREE medical and surgical care
for everyone as part of RomneyCARE=HillaryCARE socialized
medicine. That will take care of the problem.
Just like Massachusetts.
Let the future taxpayers worry about it.
What? No funding for everyone who shows up at the door. As they say, if you think healthcare is expensive - Wait until it is free (Or mandated and your wages are garnished).
Well, it already is a defacto universal care. The ERs cant turn anyone away....now the county wants to push the problem onto the private hospitals.
Does that mean that all the Mexicans will go back home? Huh, huh, huh?
The root of the problem.
Here is what your amnesty for illegals will do to the whole country.
Assuming she lives to about 70, we’re going to be paying nearly $3 million just to keep her kidneys going. But then again, what would America be without part-time pizza-delivering immigrants to prop our economy up?
CA: $14 bill in deficits; $10 bill in services to illegals.
Oh, my heart freakin' bleeds for you. Imagine the inhumanity and cruelty of having to wait in a line to get medications your neighbors have to pay for. $60,000 a year.
Yes, and the ERs will be over crowded from now on!
I think Mexican President Felipe Calderon has to approved this first.
Aren’ illegal freeloaders wonderful?
Thanks Jorge.
her medication costs about $5,000 a month, paid by the county.
++++++++++++++++++++
She is probably one of my referrals. I tell every illegal I meet that Los Angeles is a sanctuary city and that their streets are lined with gold and that it is a city that will take care of all their needs. I also refer to San Francisco and other sanctuary cities. Whenever one of you sees an illegal in need please refer them to one of these cities for the best of care. There are also thousands and thousands of jobs available in these cities, ID centers and free social, legal and medical facilities catering to their every need.
This is also created by all the impoverished legal immigrants we allow in through chain immigration and family immigration. We are importing legions of 3rd world beggars
Many 3rd world immigrants are a plus to the USA but many are beggars who are banging lots of children they won’t pay for but my taxes will
Where are those “Doctors Without Borders” when you need them?
ping
Many clinics and emergency rooms here in L.A. are closing because they are forced to give free services to the uninsured. The Gov’t then pays them only a fraction of what is owed. So guess who pays the bills? We do. When these clinics run constantly in the “red”, how long does it take to go belly-up? Not long. So thank the gov’t and thank illegals! Especially next time when one of us is having a heart attack and they have to drive us far for care.
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