Border hospitals claim money ills (from having to treat nonpaying Mexicans)

CHULA VISTA -- Hospitals near the Mexican border are blaming undocumented immigrants for increasing their money woes, spurring cries for help from medical officials and disagreement from immigration advocates who dispute those claims.

The complaints have gained momentum at local and federal levels in recent months, triggering a study on the topic and prompting at least one innovative business solution.

The study concluded that providing emergency medical care to undocumented immigrants in border counties resulted in nearly $190 million worth of unpaid hospital bills in 2000.

Armed with that dollar estimate, hospital officials and local lawmakers contend that treating undocumented immigrants boosts health-care costs for everyone else, and they're pushing for relief from the federal government.

"We're struggling to survive," said John Grah, administrator of Scripps Memorial Hospital Chula Vista, the closest hospital to the California-Mexico border.

Each year, Chula Vista -- a 173-bed hospital six miles from the border -- loses $7 million to $10 million, even though it's usually operating at capacity.

Under federal law, hospitals must treat anyone who seeks emergency medical care, regardless of their income or immigration status.

Because emergency room officials aren't allowed to ask about a patient's immigration status, they don't know what percentage of unpaid bills can be attributed to undocumented Mexicans.

The recent study commissioned by the United States/Mexico Border Counties Coalition -- a group of leaders representing the 24 border counties in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas -- attempted to find out.

Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona obtained federal funding for the study, conducted largely through interviews and surveys.

To approximate the percentage of undocumented immigrant patients, the study's authors asked hospitals to provide statistics on the number of patients who had been admitted for emergency care without Social Security numbers.

They concluded that emergency care for undocumented immigrants accounts for about 25 percent of border hospitals' uncompensated costs. In 2000, that worked out to nearly $190 million.

About $76 million of the uncompensated care occurred in San Diego County, the study said, while Imperial County accounted for nearly $3 million.

Gabrielle Lessard, a staff attorney for the National Immigration Law Center, questions the accuracy of the study, saying it relied on too few surveys from hospitals and inaccurate estimates.

Besides, she said, the uninsured population is diverse, and reaches beyond undocumented immigrants who seek care at emergency rooms.

"We have a national crisis of people who don't have access to health care," she said. "It's short-sighted, simplistic and nasty to blame it on the people who are most vulnerable."

At the Chula Vista hospital, about 34 percent of patients are uninsured and don't pay, said Michael Bardin, a spokesman for Scripps Health. Of those, he estimated, one in four is likely to be an undocumented immigrant.

"We get no benefit from being a border county, or being the closest hospital to the border," said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health.

In addition to the undocumented immigrants living in the United States who go to hospitals for emergency care, many Mexicans cross the border specifically to visit an American emergency room.

"If someone is six or seven months' pregnant, they will come up from Tijuana on a shopping expedition and never go back," Grah said.

Some patients ask Mexican ambulance drivers to take them to the border, where -- if deemed an emergency -- an American ambulance will take them the remaining distance to the hospital.

Grah estimates 30 percent of the babies delivered at Chula Vista are to women who live south of the border.

Because about 10 percent of the Mexicans who cross to have babies haven't had prenatal care, complications often arise and the cost of caring for the mother and child increase, he said.

Kyl, the Arizona senator, plans to introduce a measure next week to help reimburse states and health providers for the cost of treating undocumented immigrants.

The bill, which calls for at least $500 million in federal money to go to states and providers each year for four years, is similar to one he wrote last year that was not approved.

In light of proposed state budget cuts to Medi-Cal and other programs targeting needy and low-income Californians, said Greg Cox, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, border counties are lobbying heavily for Kyl's legislation.

"This cost is absorbed by the counties or hospitals obligated to provide emergency medical response," Cox said. "The end result is that it's absorbed by all the other people paying for their hospital stays."

But hospitals elsewhere in California, especially those in agricultural areas home to migrant farm workers, say the problem isn't unique to border hospitals.

At Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, for instance, undocumented immigrants make up a "significant" number of the patients who seek emergency care, said Cherie Stock, director of community relations.

"I've heard we have a reputation in Mexico and some Central and South American countries" as a hospital that won't turn undocumented immigrants away, she said.

When my husband was in med school at USC, he said that most of the babies delivered at the USC hospital were born to illegals. Some of the women told him that their doctors in Mexico gave them information on where to go to have their babies, it wouldn't cost them anything, and the bonus is that the babies are American citizens. They had information down to which bus to take to get to the hospital.

In addition to the undocumented immigrants living in the United States who go to hospitals for emergency care, many Mexicans cross the border specifically to visit an American emergency room.

"If someone is six or seven months' pregnant, they will come up from Tijuana on a shopping expedition and never go back," Grah said.

And Americans must pay for it, whether they want to or not, under threats of prison and forfeiture of property from the IRS and state governments.

And the hospitals & staff must treat them, whether they want to or not, under threats of prison and forfeiture of property from leftist judges.

You might be surprised to know that hospitals in many states are not required to maintain an ER. If you think about it, it's very hard to write a law requiring a hospital to provide a specific kind of medical service. And there are varying "grades" of ERs. There is just so much abuse our hospital system can stand. In Texas, there are hospitals which have abandoned the ER because it was a money loser in the best of times. Now it's the worst of times. If these border hospitals gave up offering emergency services, the immigrants would have to go elsewhere.

Hospitals, shut down your ERs.

And that's what they're doing. But do you think the politicians (Bush included) are paying attention to what the people want? No, because they (the politicians*) have medical care; why should they be concerned about peons like us?

* Politics: from Latin poly meaning many and tics meaning little blood sucking creatures.

hospitals in many states are not required to maintain an ER

That's right. We've had several in our immediate area shut down their ER and abandon emergency care completely.

The irony: it's in the district where the brain-dead soccer moms live. These left coast morons want to join hands-across-America-and-sing-"We are the world." They want open borders, but are too nearsighted to acknowledge the inevitable, viz., at some point, somebody gets stuck with the bill. That's when the ER's shut down.

But when their precious Junior gets sick, guess what? There's not gonna be any ER to save them.

Then they'll say, "Oh, that's what you meant?" Duh.

What frosts me is that any AMERICAN who refused to provide a valid social security number would be turned away as uncooperative.

No, no, it's OK! Presidente Fox has told us that we, as Americans, should be honored to be picking up the cost of mediacl services for Mexicans. It's a like like the coverage that American's have to buy. automobile insurance to cover the cost of accidents involving uninsured drivers. Mexicans in Texas don't buy mandatory autombile insurance coverage and Americans have got that ccovered; it's an honor.

How can we have homeland defense when 200 tons of illegal material and 800,000 illegal aliens wash across our southern border every year? Aside from the Mexican crooks and murders, who are, of course, immune from prosecution, what other bads guys are included in these numbers? When will we wake up to the risks and seal the border?

I read in the paper today that Bush is going to help bail out California hospitals with federal funds. This is a plain sign (again) that he wants illegal immigration to continue. If he had a brain he would close the border and declare that there will be no further medical, schooling, welfare, food stamps, housing, etc. for illegal aliens, and he would fine the companies who hire the slave labor. Here in California the illegals get better treatment than the American working poor. Hospitals aren't even allowed to ask a person's citizenship status.

The excuse is given, even in this thread, that we give free treatment to our own poor that are unable to pay. Well boo-hoo, at least they are our own citizens and as such are entitled to care, as we take care of our own. The point is that most of the Mexican freeloaders are not our citizens, and will probably never become citizens.

The control and the expenses made by not having border control is the Federal responsibility. Before we rush off to Africa with the big checkbook to take care of their AIDS problem, just maybe, we should be taking care of some our health injustices here in this country.

Any thinking person has to admit that honesty dictates that hospitals that are burdened as a result of Federal failure to take care of their responsibilities deserves help before a group of queers and their victims in Africa.

But no, our most highest poobah in Washington needs the gay vote along with enough of the Afro vote to sustain his reelection in 2004. The latino vote is already assured with the state and counties supporting education, free hospital care, and welfare. Any notion that this agrees with the grassroots conservative Republican's principles is sadly mistaken.

we, as Americans, should be honored

And that's the insanity. These mexicans bring nothing constructive to our culture except for a few workers in our service related industries.

Yet our politicians (the honorable Geo. Bush included) ignore the obvious simply because it's a volatile political issue.

I honestly thought Bush might be the kind of man who would do the right thing, simply because it was the right thing.

My eyes have been opened.

Easy solution:

Total up all the costs associated with illegals, and send the amount to the federal government.

The federal government, which was instituted to protect our property (among other things), fulfills this obligation by sending the Mexican government a bill for services provided, demaning payment in hard assets (gold or land), not fiat currency.

If the third-worlders refuse to pay, the Congress declares War on Mexico to recover the costs of the services provided by Americans, and the costs of the military operation.

The US military takes as much land across the border as is required to pay the debt.

The Congress sells the land to American citizens with logical and reasonable restrictions and provisions on what states the land should be part of. This money is used to reimburse the wronged service providers and the military for the operation.

Problem solved.

These mexicans bring nothing constructive to our culture except for a few workers in our service related industries.

Don't you understand, our strength and our progress lie in our diversity.

Sounds like you missed Citizen Indoctrination 101. No gruel for you tonight.... Report to your education officer, first thing tomorrow morning.

Report to your education officer

Yes sir, oh wise, omniscient, omnipotent socialist-god-disguised-as-a-republican/democrat who knows better than I what is good for me.

It is my privilege to fulfill my duty to live my life purely at the service of my oh-so-wise federal government.

Please, as a token of my appreciation, take all that I have, including my children, to brain wash as you see fit. And, also, consider me to be your slave, working purely to pay taxes so that you, the vice-president, and all your political cronies in both parties can spend yourselves into a stupor.

It is my privilege to fulfill my duty to live my life purely at the service of my oh-so-wise federal government.

That's the right attitude, comrade.

Now fill out this paperwork, so you can get put on the waiting list to get a new dishwasher. If you behave yourself, and commit no more "thought crimes", you'll get one in 8 years.

Now get back to work. Your country needs you.

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