March 28, 2011

Texas Emergency Rooms See Spike in Unpaid Bills

EL PASO, Texas – The number of patients visiting emergency rooms in Texas hospitals and who then do not pay for the services they receive, especially in the border zone, is one of the major problems facing the state health care system.

Margaret Althoff-Olivas, director of Public Affairs at University Medical Center of El Paso Thomason Hospital, says it is impossible to determine how many of these patients are undocumented immigrants, since by law they cannot be asked to reveal their legal status at the time they enter the hospital.

“We know that many of these people who owe money to the hospital are U.S. citizens, but for economic reasons they cannot get up to date with their obligations,â€