Medical Cost of illegal immigrants

[Beiruty]

DES MOINES, Iowa — Over the last five years, American hospitals have sent at least 600 immigrants who were in the U.S. illegally back to their home countries to avoid paying for long-term care after serious illness or injury.

The Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall University has documented "medical repatriation" cases in 15 states involving patients from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Lithuania, Mexico, the Philippines and South Korea.

Here's a look at some of the most dramatic examples from a report issued in December:

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[rwg3]

This is a relatively new twist on an old problem. Historically if a hospital accepted funds from the government programs they had to treat all who were admitted, regardless of their ability to pay. Now with looming cuts in uncompensated care payments, hospitals can't afford to treat uninsured patients and find it cheaper to lease a return flight for the patient to his/her country of origin. It gets a little sketchy when the patient is unconscious and does not have any input in the decision. One would hope that the next of kin would be part of the decision.

Hospitals with ER still are supposed to render emergency treatment to all, but that does not always translate into an admission. This is going to get uglier before the system returns to some equilibrium.

[Abraham]

I'm not without compassion - yikes, the possibilities of being sick/injured no matter nationality isn't something to simply brush aside.

That said, if we Americans are found in medical need (without money or insurance) in foreign lands, what are our chances of being properly treated? Or deported without care...?

At a much younger incarnation, I traveled outside the country quite often, but I was bullet proof cuz I was young or so I thought at the time...and never concerned myself with medical emergencies or anything else...

Now, geezerhood has set in and I realize just how lucky I was and wonder about those in our country and the dire medical straits they could face - though if they're illegal, perhaps they should've considered that...

So, should we as tax paying citizens be held accountable for illegal alien medical emergencies or is there a quid pro quo with the rest of the world benefiting us when it comes to medical emergencies too, thus making it incumbent upon us to treat the sick/injured illegal?

[sunny beach]

When I traveled overseas, I had insurance to cover the cost of getting me home if I was seriously sick or injured. These guys are getting the same service free, so I feel like insurance ripped me off.

[RAM4171]

[philip964]

They won't be illegal for long. With health care now a civil right. You can just imagine where all the money will come from.

I once hired a woman who was French. She previously made about 12 Euro an hour in France. To date she is the only employee who has ever come to me and said I did not take out enough for taxes. She said the total government deduction from her paycheck in France was 50%.