Thread: TN: Metro Nashville General Hospital reduces free care

Metro Nashville General Hospital reduces free care
Policy affects illegal immigrants




Illegal immigrants no longer have access to free health care at Metro General Hospital since a policy shift at the city's safety-net hospital went into effect earlier this year.


Hospital Authority spokeswoman Cathy Everett said the change, which went into effect Jan. 1, came about after reviewing the approval process for a program that gives indigent patients cards entitling them to free care at the facility. Emergency care is still available to anyone who needs it.

Even with the policy shift, General Hospital is providing more charity care than ever.

Through March 15, the hospital had provided 1,545 patients with indigent cards. During that same period in 2009, when illegal immigrants were eligible to receive free care, indigent cards were awarded to 1,341 patients.

Nashville Councilman Jerry Maynard, a vocal proponent of the safety-net facility, supports the move.

"I was told this had more to do with Davidson County taxpayers providing indigent, charitable care for its residents and they wanted to make sure the charitable care we give is to those persons who can prove they're Davidson County residents," Maynard said.

But he worried about the logistics of requiring a patient seeking medical care to have necessary documents on hand before receiving necessary services.

"The only issue I will have is when someone is sick, whether it's non-life-threatening or not, the concern is proving they're a Davidson County resident with documentation," Maynard said. "I don't want to put an undue burden on someone who is sick, or a parent bringing a child in, to run and get an electric bill to prove they live here."

Patients without the indigent card could still receive care, but are categorized as "self-pay." The largest discount eligible to such patients is 20 percent, Everett said. The hospital defines "indigent" as an individual making less than $16,245 a year, or a family of four earning less than $33,075.

General Hospital has seen its budget gap narrow from $11.5 million in 2008 to an estimated $2 million this year. The hospital is expected to provide $67.2 million in uncompensated care this year — a $12 million increase from a year ago and a $30 million increase from 2007.


http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100 ... immigrants

Great for Nashville for doing this - unreal that they even have to! Even with the new health care bill going in to law the cost of health care for the American Citizen is NOT going to decrease until we are able to get illegals to leave this country and stop them from using our services for free - we pay and pay and pay for each and every one of them who goes to the hospital.

I am tired of it!

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http://www.alipac.us/article5048.html