Thread: County approves prenatal care for illegals (PA)

County approves prenatal care for illegals
Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010

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By KEITH PHUCAS

NORRISTOWN — Prior to the Montgomery County Commissioners' approval of funding recently for prenatal care to benefit pregnant women who are mostly illegal immigrants, Chairman James R. Matthews said the state aid was a hedge against potentially greater medical costs if women have complications during the births.

In recent years, Norristown area hospitals have been inundated with Latino women, many of whom have no medical insurance. This year, Montgomery Hospital is projected to deliver more than 1,000 babies, though that number could climb higher, according to local officials. Births skyrocketed this year after Mercy Suburban Hospital closed its obstetrics department.

On average, Montgomery Hospital loses $2,500 for every baby born there and could rack up a total of $16 million in uncompensated care in 2010, according to a hospital official in June.

"There's been anecdotal discussions that nationally right now, as high as 15 percent of all births in the United States are from undocumented mothers, and it is bankrupting out hospitals," Matthews said.

An estimated 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in the United States in 2008 were the offspring of "unauthorized immigrants," according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center released in August.

The figures are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2009 Current Population Survey, augmented with the Pew Hispanic Center's analysis of the demographic characteristics of the illegal immigrant population in the U.S.

The analysis finds that nearly four in five, or 79 percent, of the 5.1 million children under the age of 18 of unauthorized immigrants were born in this country and therefore are U.S. citizens. In total, 4 million U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrant parents lived in this country in 2009 alongside 1.1 million foreign-born children of unauthorized immigrant parents.

Accurate estimates of how many Hispanic people live in the Norristown area is elusive, though recent estimates are between 10,000 and 20,000. And though the Norristown medical center is burdened with increasing numbers of uninsured mothers in its obstetrics program, the hospital claims it does not gather data on birth mothers' immigration status.

"We have births running eight to 12 on a daily basis in Montgomery County in Montgomery Hospital," Matthews said. "Two weeks ago, there was 13 one day, and the previous Thursday nine or 10, and there's no (insurance) money."

The Pennsylvania Department of Health $285,322 Title V grant will provide the county prenatal care through the end of next June. Earlier this year, officials approved a similar prenatal grant that ran out in June. County officials view the funding as vital to prevent any potentially costly medical problems that could be significantly higher.

"Even if you have a few of these children born with (physical) difficulties that could have been precluded by having prenatal care, the cost could triple to the hospital," Matthews said.

No matter political view points on illegal immigration, the care is an economic issue, he said.

"Whether you want borders open or whether you want to gather 10 million people and send them back home, that's not the issue here," he said. "The issue is economic impact and cost to our health care system in Norristown Borough."

In 2003, a total of 735 babies were delivered at Montgomery Hospital; 636 in 2004; 655 in 2005; 624 in 2006; 632 in 2007; 691 in 2008; 823 in 2009; and deliveries this year are expected to exceed 1,000, according to hospital projections.

In the past two years at the medical center, expectant women inadequately covered or uninsured have outnumbered privately insured mothers.

Though Mercy Suburban Hospital shut down its obstetrics department, the facility still offers gynecological services.

http://www.thereporteronline.com/articl ... 185048.txt

Interestingly enough, Mercy was a Catholic hospital and even they couldn't handle the deluge of illegal aliens, so they shut down their birth center. The Jim Matthews quoted in the article is the RINO brother of the clueless Obama-loving Chris Matthews.

Illegal aliens birthing anchor babies is devastating to a state's budget as well as changing the culture of this country. In spite of workplace raids and E-verify requirements, this population continues to increase by leaps and bounds by the children born to illegal aliens.

Not only is this a mistake, its reckless knowing everything we do about how this behavior will bankrupt your hospital, essentially depriving American citizens of health care

In the past two years at the medical center, expectant women inadequately covered or uninsured have outnumbered privately insured mothers.

And how long do you think you can keep the doors open when illegal invaders with no insurance outnumber insured (paying patients)?

The clock's already ticking....

Originally Posted by NoBueno

And how long do you think you can keep the doors open when illegal invaders with no insurance outnumber insured (paying patients)?

Just long enough for CIR to get passed and make Obamacare pay the bills.