Posted on 07/27/2012 2:59:44 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
President Barack Obama's health care law is putting new strains on some of the nation's most hard-pressed hospitals, by cutting aid that they use to pay for emergency care for illegal immigrants, which they have long been required to provide.
The federal government has been spending $20 billion annually to reimburse these hospitals — most in poor urban and rural areas —for treating more than their share of the uninsured, including illegal immigrants. The health care law will eventually cut that money in half, based on the premise that fewer people will lack insurance after the law takes effect.
But the estimated 11 million people now living illegally in the United States are not covered by the health care law. Its sponsors, seeking to sidestep the contentious debate over immigration, excluded them from the law's benefits.
As a result, safety-net hospitals said the cuts would deal a severe blow to their finances.
The hospitals are coming under this pressure because many of their uninsured patients are illegal immigrants, and because their large pools of uninsured or poorly insured patients are not expected to be reduced significantly under the Affordable Care Act, even as federal aid shrinks.
.....No matter where they are located, all hospitals are obliged under federal law to treat anyone who arrives at the emergency room, regardless of their immigration status.
''That's the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and not just in New York — in Texas, in California, in Florida," said Wendy Z. Goldstein, Lutheran's chief executive.....
.....The Obama administration said the Affordable Care Act supports safety-net hospitals in other ways, pointing to measures that raise payments for primary care and give bonuses for improvements in quality.....
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
If it costs an average of $1700 per year for medical care for illegals, and it costs $270 to fly one-way commercial all the way from NYC to Mexico City, how can an honest person claim that deporting illegals is unaffordable? Or is this why only Democrats and career politicians claim protecting our borders and deporting illegals who make it across is unaffordable?
No problem!
If they think it hurts now, just wait ‘till all the Catholic, Adventist and Baptist Hospitals shut down over the BC/abortion mandates.
The health care law will eventually cut that money in half,
snnnniiifffff oh da hoomanity.
[those pics, btw, are making my eyes bleed...thanks a heap! ;D]
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Actually it’s the hospitals that get hurt(and those that pay), not the illegals.
Federal law still requires hospitals to treat the uninsured regargless of if they get reimbursed which they generally don’t, or their immigration status.
“President Barack Obama’s health care law is putting new strains on some of the nation’s most hard-pressed hospitals, by cutting aid that they use to pay for emergency care for illegal immigrants, which they have long been required to provide.”
Here in NJ we’ve already lost hospitals; I understand the same has happened in southern California.
One comment on the article stated that many hospitals in California had closed their emergency rooms in order to cut expenses.
CA sounds like a great place.
Its a show case for what unrestricted immigration from third world nations can bring this country.
We must be old fashioned to believe in rule of law and borders.
How about... No benefits for illegal foreigners?
That would help a lot.
“One comment on the article stated that many hospitals in California had closed their emergency rooms in order to cut expenses.”
Many large hospitals in California have closed completely.
MANY! All due to illegals, by the way.
A friend just told me 50 hospitals have closed in California.
Some were in business almost 100 years.
Maybe they should have to get Obama’s permission to close their hospitals to make sure it doesnt impact 'immigrants' negatively. HA_HA, I know, he doesn't need anymore bad ideas.
New York has made it clear they are a sanctuary city and will not report illegals to ICE, unless it is a serious crime.Otherwise New York welcomes illegals there and now the state can start paying their medical bills.
Like here, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration will pursue wide-ranging steps intended to thwart the potential for fraud and unscrupulous practices in response to President Obama’s decision to allow many illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children to remain here without fear of deportation. Mr. Cuomo’s plan calls for a multilingual news media outreach campaign, community programs and the mobilization of lawyers across New York State to help immigrants navigate the Obama administration’s policy, which was announced last month.
Some critics of the policy, which will allow hundreds of thousands of young people to work and obtain driver’s licenses and other documents, say it is an open invitation to deceitful actions by people who promote themselves as immigration consultants but often charge exorbitant fees and skirt the law.
Under Mr. Cuomo’s plan, which will be announced on Thursday, New York will pay for a team of immigration lawyers to work with organizations throughout the state to help illegal immigrants who qualify for the new policy and who seek federal permission to remain in the United States legally.
Among other requirements, immigrants must have entered the country before age 16, must be in school and must have no criminal records.
The New York Department of State has set aside $600,000 for the legal counsel team.
The state also plans to expand its immigrant service hot line to include information about the policy and to direct callers to service providers who can help young immigrants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/nyregion/in-new-york-a-plan-to-help-illegal-immigrants-avoid-swindlers.html
They have money to do that, surely they will find more money to ensure illegals receive first class medical care.
Texas, in California, are sanctuary cities, let those in power start worrying about how can we keep our hospitals open and our illegals in good health, without going broke and keep the public from being outraged. As with anything, document fraud will be used to get Obamacare. The more places that start shutting their doors,the more of an impact it will have about on the public, who will demand something be done about illegals bankrupting our hospitals.
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