Thread: No health insurance? You're probably illegal

No health insurance? You're probably illegal
Census: Skyrocketing numbers without medical coverage reflect migration

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Posted: July 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern



© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com


WASHINGTON – While "Sicko" filmmaker Michael Moore is blaming greed and a broken health care system for the inability of Americans to get health-care insurance, it turns out most without coverage are illegal aliens.

According to the latest Census Bureau figures, 43.6 percent of non-citizens in the U.S. are without health insurance. In addition, 33.6 percent of those born elsewhere are without coverage.

By contrast, only 13.4 percent of native-born Americans are without health insurance. And 17.9 percent of naturalized citizens are without coverage.

The statistics will be no surprise to health-care providers. Hospital emergency rooms in Florida and California have been forced to close their doors as a result of increased demands by uninsured and under-insured patients – many of them illegal aliens.

According to a study by University of South Florida researchers, much of the demand on hospitals comes from new residents of the state. More than half of all emergency room patients in some Florida hospitals do not have insurance.

Doctors who treat uninsured patients are not compensated for their treatment.

As a result, hospitals in Florida have lost surgeons and stand to lose entire surgical departments. Some hospitals are having a hard time getting physicians to work because they are choosing to work in other areas where they will be fully compensated for the treatment they give.

As WorldNetDaily previously reported, a study by a prominent medical attorney concludes the porous border with Mexico and the resulting influx of illegal aliens poses a major public health threat to the U.S.

Madeleine Pelner Cosman, author of a report in the spring issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, is particularly concerned with increases in multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis, chagas disease, dengue fever, polio, hepatitis A, B, and C, she told Lou Dobbs on CNN in June.

"Certain diseases that we thought we had vanquished years ago are coming back, and other diseases that we've never seen or rarely seen in America, because they've always been the diseases of poverty and the Third World, are coming in now," she said.

As WorldNetDaily reported, even leprosy is suddenly on the radar of health officials.

Cosman recommends closing the border to all illegal traffic, rescinding the citizenship of "anchor babies," those born in the U.S. to parents who are illegals, and making the aiding and abetting of illegals a crime.

"We have a terrible, absolutely vicious, law called EMTALA: the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which is really the culprit that requires every emergency room, and every physician of an emergency room, to treat illegal aliens for free," she said.

Cosman said 84 hospitals in California have been forced to close because of the high cost of treating illegal aliens with only 50 percent of all treatments reimbursed by government.

"Even physicians in those emergency rooms don't fully get the point that by being compassionate, and generous, and gracious, they are, in essence, destroying their own livelihoods as well as their own hospitals," she said.

While politicians often mention there are 43 million without health insurance in this country, Cosman's report estimates that at least 25 percent of those are illegal immigrants. The figure could be as high as 50 percent.

Not being insured does not mean they don't get medical care.

Among the organizations directing illegal aliens into America's medical systems, according to the report, are the Ford Foundation-funded Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Immigration Law Center, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration Policy, Practice, and Pro Bono, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the National Council of La Raza, George Soros' Open Society Institute, the Migration Policy Institute, the National Network for Immigration and Refugee Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Because drug addiction and alcoholism are classified as diseases and disabilities, the fiscal toll on the health-care system rises.

"Today, legal immigrants must demonstrate that they are free of communicable diseases and drug addiction to qualify for lawful permanent residency green cards," writes Cosman, a medical lawyer who formerly taught medical students at the City University of New York. "Illegal aliens simply cross our borders medically unexamined, hiding in their bodies any number of communicable diseases."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic ... E_ID=56725

There are an awful of of other statistics, being applied to social policies, that are dangerously warped by the fact of illegal immigration. These decisons require an astute understanding of statistical analysis--and everything is being thrown totally out of kilter. Crazy.

"We have a terrible, absolutely vicious, law called EMTALA: the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which is really the culprit that requires every emergency room, and every physician of an emergency room, to treat illegal aliens for free," she said.

EMTALA is not a terrible law...it is a good law ...what is terrible is the illegal alien invasion abusing the laws and health care system

to treat illegal aliens for free

that is not the law...it may have come from a case back in the 80's with non English speaking pregnant girl who died in a parking lot after being refused treatment for lack of insurance and funds ...she was turned away from several hospitals in South Texas town that afternoon...she and the baby died...we in health care do not let people die or we should not refuse real emergency care ..for lack of funds ...it would be against our oath ...she was a true emergency...I believe she was suffering from an onset of PIH

I agree with you Redbadger I don't like it but we cannot allow someone to die because they are refused treatment.What the answer is I do not know ?? Seems like we are between a rock and a hard place on this one.

We had a similar case here a few years ago,a illegal pregnant woman was denied treatment and she and her baby died...of course the you know what hit the fan and now no one is denied treatment.It is aggrevating as our wait times in emergency are very long and nurses have told me they are frustrated when citizens who have no insurance must pay on the spot or make payment arrangements,sign agreements,show numerous ID's while illegals get treated without any questions or payment.....

There's a huge difference between treating emergencies and simply the common cold. There should be some discretion.

Originally Posted by gofer

There's a huge difference between treating emergencies and simply the common cold. There should be some discretion.

I agree but it is difficult to know how ill someone is sometimes.In the case of the pregnant Illegal the hospital's defense was they did not think the woman was in any danger when they refused to treat her yet she died....

According to the latest Census Bureau figures, 43.6 percent of non-citizens in the U.S. are without health insurance. In addition, 33.6 percent of those born elsewhere are without coverage.

By contrast, only 13.4 percent of native-born Americans are without health insurance. And 17.9 percent of naturalized citizens are without coverage.

Just because only 13.4 percent of native-borns are without insurance (and I'm not sure I believe it's that low), doesn't mean it's a problem only for illegals. I'm native-born and I don't have insurance. We just can't afford it. I would have to be next to death before I would go to an ER because we couldn't handle the bills!

Try being self employed and having to pay your own health insurance. I do not have any.

We don't have to deny health care to illegals. If our immigration laws were enforced, thus forcing illegals out of our country, medical cost would automatically drop dramatically. Illegals are not going to come here if all they can get is the medical care. Of course the anchor baby law would need to be straightened out.

Maybe we should All demand the same rights as illegals have if we need to go to the emergency room and refuse to show ID's.Since they have to treat us what can they do...then again maybe it is just illegals they have to treat with no questions asked !