Posted on 02/21/2005 3:44:26 AM PST by Theodore R.
Fund to pay hospital bills for immigrants
By JULIE DAFFERN Laredo Morning Times
Webb County hospitals will get some relief this spring from the pressure of unpaid medical service provided to illegal immigrants, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said at the Mr. South Texas luncheon Saturday.
"The entire Laredo community will benefit from this positive development," Hutchison said. "The funds will ease the pressure on local taxpayers and will lower costs for those who are able to pay for their healthcare needs."
The reimbursement program, included in the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act, was mandated by law to begin Sept. 1, 2004, but has been delayed for over six months.
But, according to Hutchison, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mark McClellan said the program is on course to begin this spring.
The program should already be providing more than $5 million to Webb County hospitals and up to $50 million at hospitals across Texas in the 2005 fiscal year, Hutchison said. Nationwide, the program has allocated $250 million annually.
Hutchison added that the problem was a federal issue and the financial responsibility should not lie with the individual county hospitals.
Laredo Medical Center already has begun gearing up for the program, according to Ana Rivera-Soto, director of marketing at LMC.
"We are always grateful to get any assistance for Webb County as a whole, not only for the hospitals, but for all healthcare providers," said Soto.
Currently, there is no way to recover the loss of money for healthcare provided to illegal immigrants.
Soto said it is hard to estimate how many illegal immigrants the hospital serves or how much money is spent providing the healthcare because the hospital currently does not ask questions about residency.
"We do quite a bit of charity care in the community. Its kind of difficult to track it, because even if theyre not from here, theyll give a local address," Soto said.
But with implementation of the program, Soto said the hospital will have to document where their patients are coming from for the reimbursement.
(Julie Daffern can be reached at 728-2538 or jdaffern@lmtonline.com.)
02/20/05
I think this is true only of suspected aliens: they ask residency questions of those living in the community, having insurance cards, ID's, etc.
May as well pay for this TOO! heh!
Here's an idea: Deport every illegal immigrant in this country, and we won't need bills like this, Senator! What ever happened to the laws of the United States? Hello!
Mexico should be the one paying for the fund. If that country's economy weren't such a basket case (because of corruption and socialism), its citizens wouldn't have to leave it in order to survive. I would like to see accountability from Mexico.
Where can I sign up to be an illegal 'immigrant'? I'm tired of shelling out money on health insurance.
Docs and hospital administrators don't care squat who they treat. They only care about being reimbursed. They cloak themselves in a god like "mission to save lives". Of illegal aliens too.
Very similar to public schools that love to educate illegal alien children since they get more money for more students
I think this is true only of suspected aliens: they ask residency questions of those living in the community, having insurance cards, ID's, etc.
Yep. Everybody gets asked but Mexicans. Everybody has to pay the bills, but we're accountable for ID.
This is like Schwarzenegger's trip to DC last week looking for funds to support the massive medical bills of illegals. He didn't even mention the possibility of deportation as a solution.
Guess they think the funds they will be receiving, magically appear from thin air. The Employers who hire the illegals should be footing 100 percent of these bills, along with doing some heavy jail time.
In a word?
GERRYMANDERING! happened.
See, everyone was carping about how he would hijack someone's laptop in the Blogger pool at CPAC but this headline shows he's not such a bad guy ... er, what? it isn't about him? it's not John Fund, the reporter? it is "fund" as in trust fund? <gilda> never mind </gilda>
how many of you watched the SNL 1st 5 years special last night?
"Docs and hospital administrators don't care squat who they treat."
Ahhhh there are the court rulings that motivate, errr, dictate this.
Simple solution:
Since their home countries are socialist workers' paradises that provide free medical care, add up all the medical bills and request reimbursement from their home country.
Oh, and when they don't pay, attach any and all assets in the US.
But that would require a government with a spine, which we sadly lack.
Help is on the way!! It's FREE MONEY from the US GUBMINT!! Where does the FREE MONEY come from?!? Why, NO ONE KNOWS!
And, they don't want to know, because that would mean people might not WANT to pay for illegal Mexicans - and, we all know it's for Mexicans - or any Mexicans, for that matter. So, don't ask what you can do for your country...ask what your gubmint can do for YOU!
And who would have thunk that all this was in the "Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act'. Instead of enforcing the law at the border on these @$#&%!@ illegals we are catering to em. This calls for a call to my elected officials in Washington today. Won't do a bit of good but it will let em know that I know and so do many others.
BUMP
"Currently, there is no way to recover the loss of money for healthcare provided to illegal immigrants.
Soto said it is hard to estimate how many illegal immigrants the hospital serves or how much money is spent providing the healthcare because the hospital currently does not ask questions about residency. "
No way! It was another way for Bush to slip money to his good buddy Fox's countrymen. If you get sick in Mexico, you'd better pray you can make it across the border. The stupid Americans will give you the very best of everything, and it's all FREE. But if you're a sick American, prepare to either die, or pay through the nose! What makes you think you're entitled to anything?
No it won't, it's their money that funds the program.
Costing California taxpayers alone a few BILLION every year... Can you imagine the resentment this is causing?
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