Thread: NE-Prenatal care debate: Beyond costs

Published Sunday March 14, 2010

Prenatal care debate: Beyond costs
By Paul Hammel

LINCOLN — The 30-year-old woman who walked into south Omaha's OneWorld Community Health Center was scared.

She was 16 weeks pregnant and needed a $50 test to determine if she suffered from a dangerous but treatable prenatal condition.

But she didn't have the money and didn't know where to get it.

OneWorld gave her the test anyway, and she was found to have gestational diabetes.

AdvertisingHowever, the health center for low-income people cannot afford to pick up the $300 cost of what it recommends for such women: a course at the University of Nebraska Medical Center that teaches how to use a glucose monitor and how to manage the diabetes through low-sugar diets, exercise and, sometimes, medication.

The OneWorld patient was among 1,550 women, as of March 1, who lost their state Medicaid coverage for prenatal care because of a directive from the federal government. More than half — 842 — were illegal immigrants.

Medicaid formerly paid about $775 for prenatal care per woman.

Whether the woman with gestational diabetes is an illegal immigrant is unknown. OneWorld, whose clients are mostly Hispanic, doesn't ask about immigration status. Dr. Kristine McVea, chief medical officer of the center, described the woman's health situation without naming her.

McVea, along with the state's medical groups and organizations that oppose abortion, falls on one side of the debate on whether to restore prenatal services to these women. McVea says the compassionate and cost-effective thing to do is to restore such care to women, even those here illegally.

“That someone would think so strongly about immigration that it would supersede the health of a baby …â€

I wrote to the author of this article requesting further information about the first part of the article. If this clinic discussed this woman's age, weeks pregnant, mental state and tests as well as results with him this is a obvious HIPAA violation and needs to be reported. HIPAA if a federal regulation that restricts doctors from releasing any information concerning patients. If I get an answer I will post it here.

Taking care of anchor babies, from their taxpayer funded births, to their WIC and food stamps, to paying for their free lunches and K-12 education, is what is bankrupting this country. Pregnant illegal aliens should be deported to their home countries, where prenatal care is certainly available to them. Americans are tired of having their taxes raised to pay for illegal aliens and their anchor babies.

If a person cannot even afford a $50 test, how will they afford to support a child(ren)? The answer is that they cannot; of course, the costs are shifted on to the taxpayer. It's bad enough when you are forced to support irresponsible citizens, but it goes to another level when foreign nationals here illegally expect American taxpayers to pick up the tab. The taxpayers in the nations from which these people come should be paying for them, not Americans.

If private organizations and individuals want to pay for them, then let them. But taxpayers shouldn't be forced to pick up the costs of those here illegally in this nation, especially now when states are going bankrupt and cannot even pay their own bills. Of course due to birthright citizenship, if the child is born with health issues, taxpayers will be forced to pay in any case.

Of course due to birthright citizenship, if the child is born with health issues, taxpayers will be forced to pay in any case.

Even without health issues, the taxpayers still pay for everything; WIC , Medicaid, Headstart , K-12 education with free lunches, etc. Multiply this by the hundreds of thousands of anchor children born each year and the costs to the states are staggering.

Originally Posted by hattiecat

Of course due to birthright citizenship, if the child is born with health issues, taxpayers will be forced to pay in any case.

Even without health issues, the taxpayers still pay for everything; WIC , Medicaid, Headstart , K-12 education with free lunches, etc. Multiply this by the hundreds of thousands of anchor children born each year and the costs to the states are staggering.

True enough, but what I was speaking to was the catch 22 of either providing taxpayer-funded prenatal testing or pay for costly treatment of the child once it's born. Either way we pay. When speaking of citizens, it would be considered cost effective to detect problems early and take steps to avoid costly treatment later. But in the case of illegals, they shouldn't even be here. Why should any of this fall on the taxpayers? These people should be the responsibility of the nations from which they come.

What can we do to persuade Nebraska to pass a mandatory e-verify and 287g bill, in order to remove most illegals so that this will not be an issue in the first place?

For me, the question is not whether this woman can afford the $50 test, it that she EXPECTS it for free. Her money will either be spent on a car and cellphone or will be sent to her family in Mexico. The taxpayers will continue to pay their own healthcare bills and hers besides.

You would think the residents of NE would demand E-Verify plus make a big stink about this going on.

It makes one wonder if the resdients aren't aware of this going happening..we all know the media likes these things kept quiet....maybe things like this need to be passed around on line so everyone finds out what is really going on......after all it is the Tax Payers money ....

For me, the question is not whether this woman can afford the $50 test, it that she EXPECTS it for free. Her money will either be spent on a car and cellphone or will be sent to her family in Mexico. The taxpayers will continue to pay their own healthcare bills and hers besides.

I guess we all need to do this too, after all, if an ILLEGAL ALIEN can demand and expect and receive free services...then..LEGAL citizens should have the same afforded them....

Kathyet