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Feds to pay part of cost of illegals’ care at YRMC
BY BLAKE SCHMIDT|, Sun Staff Writer
Aug 6, 2005



Yuma Regional Medical Center will receive more than $1 million annually in federal funds to help cover the estimated $2 million the hospital spends each year by giving uncompensated care to illegal immigrants, a hospital official said.

Paying patients are the ones footing the bill for uncompensated illegal immigrant care, a cost that is "eating into" the nonprofit hospital's potential to grow and expand its services, said Pat Walz, YRMC chief financial officer.

Under a new federal program, $1 billion over four years will be allocated to reimburse hospitals nationwide, plus certain physicians and ambulance providers for emergency services provided to illegal immigrants, according to Walz.

He estimated that Yuma will receive about half of what the hospital pays each year for uncompensated illegal immigrant health care, a projection he based on Arizona's allocated portion of the funds.

The estimated annual cost to hospitals and other providers of emergency health care nationwide for illegal aliens â€â€