Thread: Wise County Ends Health Care for Illegal Immigrants

Wise County Ends Health Care for Illegal Immigrants

Last Edited: Tuesday, 05 Jun 2007, 12:27 PM CDT
Created: Tuesday, 05 Jun 2007, 12:24 PM CDT

Wise County will longer provide health care for illegal immigrants because the taxpayers cannot afford the financial burden, officials said.

Federal law states anyone with a medical emergency must receive treatment.

County governments must also put aside eight percent of their budgets to treat people who cannot afford non-emergency medical care.


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Wise County said according to an opinion by State Attorney General Gregg Abbott, that care doesn't have to extend to everyone.

"If a person is an illegal immigrant they do not qualify under federal guidelines," said Greg Lowery, Wise County attorney.

"In a non-emergency health care situation it is a policy decision whether or not the county pays for indigent health care for that person. The county could choose to do so or not to do so," Lowery said.

Wise County commissioners voted not to.

County officials said they don't really have a problem with illegal immigrants seeking indigent health care, but recently they were beginning to receive a lot of phone calls.

"Word got out through the grapevine and they began receiving several calls I don't know how many. Two or three, not a lot, but many more than we had received in the past in this type of situation," said Lowery.

Wise County said it spends about $30,000 per year per person on indigent care.

The state does not reimburse the county for money spent on illegal immigrants.

Last November, Collin County also revised its indigent care policy, qualifying only legal residents of the county and the country.

Tarrant County's JPS Health Network also requires indigent patients to be legal residents of the U.S.

Every county in America needs to end these benefits. My cousin's wife had her baby at home because even though they are low income they didn't quite qualify for Medicaid. Meanwhile, illegals get free prenatal care, labor and delivery and WIC paid for by the US taxpayers. What is wrong with this country?!