Thread: TN: OBGYN UPSET OVER "FREE" DELIVERIES TO ILLEGAL

One Doctor in Knoxville speaks out on delivering "anchor babies" FREE to illegal alien parents at taxpayers expense, a benefit that she herself would not be afforded as an American citizen with health insurance.

Reimbursement for illegal immigrant births frustrates local doctor

January 18, 2007

By CATHARYN CAMPBELL
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- When illegal immigrants have babies in Tennessee, federal law requires doctors to treat them because labor is considered an emergency.

The law also requires TennCare to reimburse hospitals for the emergency care they provide to people here illegally who would qualify for Medicaid as a U.S. citizen.

Dr. Heather Moss, 35, works as an OBGYN. She has a private practice and also delivers babies twice a month at St. Mary's Hospital.

Moss is dealing with a problem of her own. Her individual health insurance plan doesn't cover maternity expenses because she is not married.

"I feel like I'm getting discriminated against because I choose to be single. Maybe I don't want to get married and maybe I want to have a baby."

Moss is even more frustrated because some of her tax money is paying for illegal immigrants to give birth and she is delivering their babies.

6 News found TennCare pays for approximately 60 immigrants a month. Most of those are for mothers in labor. That adds up to a cost of about $1.7 million, an average of nearly $15 million a year.

"That $15 million could have been used to help legally established working poor in the state of Tennessee."

She pays $450 a month for insurance. Switching plans or changing insurance companies would cost her several hundred dollars more each month.

She says the cost of an uncomplicated delivery costs about $10,000 without insurance coverage.

"I'm frustrated that someone can come here illegally and basically benefit from our welfare system. A system that was set up to help the poor citizens of the state of Tennessee."

Moss plans to contact legislators in Washington, asking them to change the law.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=5958790&nav=0RYv

I'm glad to see a white collar professional that makes a bunch more money than me getting fed up with this situation too. I wish ALL doctors would raise a stink. The fact that labor is considered an "emergency" seems just a little odd to me. I find it hard to believe that these illegal immigrant mothers are all in a catatonic state and are unaware for at least six months that they will be giving birth at some point. I could see possibly giving true life saving care in a true emergency (due to an accident, heart attack, etc.) to these people and then the hospital coordinating with ICE to come pick them up as soon as they are well enough to be taken into custody. Of course it's only because I'm feeling oh so very charitable today.

And, probably, a percentage of those illegal moms are single, too.

Moss is dealing with a problem of her own. Her individual health insurance plan doesn't cover maternity expenses because she is not married.

What's up with that?

The problem is, it's

One Doctor

Not enough.

Any illegal who has a baby at taxpayer expense should immediately have her tubes tied. Americans don't want to pay for their babies and should not be forced to pay for baby after baby so that they can receive food stamps and welfare. Illegals are a drain on the American taxpayers.

I wonder how many of these women would be giving birth in hospitals or under a doctor's care in their home country.