Thread: New Medical funding could scare off illegal immigrants

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New Medical funding could scare off illegal immigrants

Hispanics are an ever-growing part of our community. There are some twelve million undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States.

“Nobody is going to say yes I am an illegal immigrant most of them will not say that�, says Jesse Cigarroa, a first generation Mexican American.

Most have no insurance which means often times the emergency room becomes the de facto place to go for medical help. Thanks to a new billion-dollar program emergency personnel will now be asking patients more questions about their ability to pay.

“It’s hard enough that they don't know English then they have to go to the hospital expecting to receive help when they get there they getting banged getting all these questions and they get scared�, says Jesse Cigarroa.

Officials say no one is going to ask an immigrant for proof of legal status. But some immigrant health experts are concerned.

“It’s suspicious because there are so many anti immigrant bills being proposed right now in congress we feel this is probably a way to sneak hospitals into identifying undocumented immigrants�, says Holly Melendez. ETSU has set up a health coalition to study and help Hispanic immigrants living in the Tri Cities.

Immigrants can go to the Johnson City's Downtown Clinic, where payments are based on a sliding scale.

If they are really sick, very sick, Medivac them to MEXICO CITY and give them a parachute, and drop them over the hospital