Thread: Just another day in the hospital

So, yesterday I was taking care of: a 90 year old incapacitated Vietnamese woman with a stroke, a 54 year old Pakistani woman w/ a stroke who needed total care and rehabilitation, and a 44 year old Afghani woman who was having a pseudo psycho eipisode over some of her life's problems and needed requested constant "pain relief." None spoke English. The families were very helpful, I must say, but these people's problems were chronic and devastating. We also had to communicate several times through translator phones and it was also difficult repeatedly telling things to the families when they would simply ask the same question over and over. They just do not unerstand what docs are telling them.

The one American I had was a 90 year old woman experiencing some vertigo -- she looked 55 and was the most pleasant woman I've ever come across. She was discharged after one overnight stay.

So, there you go -- 75% of the patients I'm caring for are undocomented, uninsured, and in need of exstensive medical care and rehabilitation. Who's paying? We are. I'm surprised my salary as a nurse stays as it is and I wonder how much longer it can be sustained.

I feel that we Americans need a specific Lou Dobbs type "show" or report on what costs are incurred in a daily basis in America's hospitals for indigent patients. We really ought to be informed on where our resources are doing and know why and what happened should they be depleted entirely someday.

I can relate as I used to work EMS. I don't know how many time I had to translate in the ER, now they pay big bucks for it

My heart goes out to you for putting up with these things on a daily basis. Medical personnel are some of the greatest people we have in this world, so I hope those added burdens are tolerable. I think the generous spirit of Americans has been caught off guard--in this age when information travels freely--and it is going to take a lot more outspoken dialogue before everyone else wakes up and realizes that we just can't take care of everyone.

We do have medical volunteers who go to the other countries and train local people in modern medicine. This is about the best we can do and those who think we need to do more should consider helping out there. In my own industry I see site after site with illegals employed and report them when I can. Yesterday I went out to a company I had worked for for four days. I saw them telling two American drywallers they had nothing for them to do that day. There was also a small group of Hispanics there apparently waiting for work. I do believe they were sent home, too. But can't they find enough Americans who would like to be working everyday?

Ridiculous. They get health care Americans down on their luck
go without insurance or health care.

Parkland Hospital of Dallas, TX, is one of the MOST infamous medical refuges for ILLEGALS! While AMERICAN and LEGAL resident patients at Parkland are CASUALLY DISMISSED!

So, there you go -- 75% of the patients I'm caring for are undocomented, uninsured, and in need of exstensive medical care and rehabilitation. Who's paying? We are. I'm surprised my salary as a nurse stays as it is and I wonder how much longer it can be sustained

If you ar here legally jjmm, you will probably eventually be replaced by a foreign worker who will take the job for less. Hospitals will complain that they cant find Americans to fill the jobs.

Originally Posted by jjmm

So, yesterday I was taking care of: a 90 year old incapacitated Vietnamese woman with a stroke, a 54 year old Pakistani woman w/ a stroke who needed total care and rehabilitation, and a 44 year old Afghani woman who was having a pseudo psycho eipisode over some of her life's problems and needed requested constant "pain relief." None spoke English. The families were very helpful, I must say, but these people's problems were chronic and devastating. We also had to communicate several times through translator phones and it was also difficult repeatedly telling things to the families when they would simply ask the same question over and over. They just do not unerstand what docs are telling them.

The one American I had was a 90 year old woman experiencing some vertigo -- she looked 55 and was the most pleasant woman I've ever come across. She was discharged after one overnight stay.

So, there you go -- 75% of the patients I'm caring for are undocomented, uninsured, and in need of exstensive medical care and rehabilitation. Who's paying? We are. I'm surprised my salary as a nurse stays as it is and I wonder how much longer it can be sustained.

I feel that we Americans need a specific Lou Dobbs type "show" or report on what costs are incurred in a daily basis in America's hospitals for indigent patients. We really ought to be informed on where our resources are doing and know why and what happened should they be depleted entirely someday.

How do you know they were undocumented?

Well, I don't know that they were undocumented, but I do know they are uninsured. That is in their record and I can see that.

I would assume at least half of these people ARE undocumented, if not more. Many are probably HB1 visa holders, but many of the elderly are "visiting" their family members from their countries. These folks are definitely NOT long-time U.S. citizens and no way in HELL have they paid into any sort of Medicare or social security system. I'm willing to bet on that.

I DO know that my own particular hospital spent some $75 million last year in providing indigent care to undocumented citizens -- that is on the books.

My sister used to work at hospital in Albuquerque, NM and she saw stuff like this happen everyday. Sometime back I was talking with some friends who live in the Atlanta area one of my friends is a respiratory therapist who used to do part time work at the Shepherd Center which is one of best rehabiltation hospitals for spinal cord injuries and brain injuries. My friend said that she witnessed many non-English speaking people mostly of Mexican descent receive state-of-the-art rehab and health care for spinal cord injuries but yet the hospital and insurance companies were constantly turning away American patients wtih brain injuries. She said the hospital and insurance companies used the excuse that brain injuries aren't really treatable and spinal cords injuries are better to treat. My friend also said that in the past that she saw a few American teens with brain injuries whose families had medical insurance sent home early from Shepherd meanwhile other non-American born people who most of the time have no insurance stayed longer. I feel that the American patients whether they have spinal cord injuries or brain injuries should be given prioritiy at hospitals like Shepherd Center.

Originally Posted by jjmm

Well, I don't know that they were undocumented, but I do know they are uninsured. That is in their record and I can see that.

I would assume at least half of these people ARE undocumented, if not more. Many are probably HB1 visa holders, but many of the elderly are "visiting" their family members from their countries. These folks are definitely NOT long-time U.S. citizens and no way in HELL have they paid into any sort of Medicare or social security system. I'm willing to bet on that.

I DO know that my own particular hospital spent some $75 million last year in providing indigent care to undocumented citizens -- that is on the books.

You logic is amazing of all the groups of LEGAL non immigrants and immigrants including refugees which is probably the category the Vietnamese family fall into, you point to the H1b visa holders as the culprits. There are many visa categories, and immigrant categories who probably have insurance or not as the case may be. It is likely they have relatives visit them but in most instances if people visit the USA as tourists such as on the visa waiver program they will have travel insurance. They do this as it is common knowlege that being uninsured is not very sensible in the United States, as medicine here is PRIVATE. The perception the rest of the world has that if you do not have insurance you will be thrown out on the street to fend for yourself.

I understand your frustration as a person who sees uninsured people on a daily basis getting care. You are probably just like my family who cannot imagine being without medical insurance. I would just like you to appreciate that there are multitudes of groups of people who do not carry insurance and to blame the H visa holders is very narrow minded.