Still no solution for illegal immigrants' long-term care costs

Houston Chronicle ^ | October 30, 2011 | TODD ACKERMAN

[Cincinatus' Wife]

....What is clear is that the practice stirs passionate responses on both sides of the immigration debate.

Geoffrey Hoffman.... describes it as "patient dumping" or "private deportation" and calls it "despicable." Noting deportation is the "exclusive province" of the federal government, not hospitals, he says forcing patients to "accept" repatriation back to a country where there may be no hope of follow-up care can "only reflect badly on our great nation."

By contrast, Mark Krikorian....argues that there are "real-world limits" to the level of health care U.S. institutions should provide non-citizens. He says that it's one thing to provide the life-saving emergency care federal law requires, quite another to provide lifelong, bankruptcy-causing or premium-raising care "to people here illegally in the first place."

Beneath the rhetoric, there's no denying the cost of such care. In 2010, for instance, the Harris County Hospital District [Houston,TX] spent nearly $170 million on the care of illegal immigrants. That was up from $100 million in 2007.

From 2005 to 2008, states were able to recoup some of those costs thanks to federal funding - Texas got about $45 million a year - aimed at compensating states for the emergency care of illegal immigrants the law requires hospitals provide. The program, pushed by Texas and other states that bear the brunt of such care, was not renewed after 2008.

Still, the real problem isn't hospitals, which transfer most all patients, both U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants, once urgent care is no longer needed and the bed is needed for other patients. It's long-term care facilities, unable to afford to accept patients, like Martinez, who don't have insurance. It remains for hospitals, obligated by federal regulation to arrange post-hospital care for those who need it, to find alternatives and to provide care indefinitely if they can't....

[Cincinatus' Wife]

When consenting patients are transferred to Mexico for care (from any state), the U.S. hospital foots the bill (but it's about 1/3 the cost).

Read it.

Federal inaction on sealing the border, border security, immigration and illegals has to addressed and Gov. Rick Perry will do just that.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"Federal inaction on sealing the border, border security, immigration and illegals has to addressed and Gov. Rick Perry will do just that."

And if you believe the illegal-panderer La Raza Rick will do something to change that, I got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

[hocndoc]

The people who hired him and whose roof he fell from should be billed. This sounds like an on-the-job injury. They hired an illegal alien and there should be consequences.

His “common law wife” is a US citizen. She should be responsible for his care, too.

I’ve seen these cases since med school. Mexico, with their government health care, used to refuse to take them back, much less pay for their care. Our government should not allow Mexico to refuse its citizens.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Perry is doing something about it.

He's talking about it, spending millions of Texas' dollars on security and putting Texas rangers on the border.

He's tried to get Mexican presidents to work toward building their own middle class and stop border violence.

He's shown Greta (Fox) the border and explained the security issues. He's written to Obama and confronted him in person to deliver a letter asking the federal government to do their sworn duty on securing the border.

He's said it may take military intervention to kill off the cartels.

He's spoken to La Raza about these problems.

What have the other candidates done? The current president?

I'm sure that Obama didn't say these things to La Raza:

Gov Rick Perry spoke to LaRaza about the drug cartels, shared responsibility of border security and that it is Washington's responsibility to secure the border -- that the Federal government should support the military, deliver the mail and secure the border -- and they aren't doing their job. [HE RECEIVED a lot of applause] He spoke of the money Texas spends securing the border, that it must be sealed and then we can sustain legitimate commerce...He told about protecting the sanctity of the vote and strengthening our shared values, family, faith, hard work -- they are TEXAS values and we should unite as citizen's of one Nation under God and concentrate on what unites us. He told his Cuervo joke and they found it funny unlike the Liberal Latino Leaders Give Perry Lukewarm Response (or more likely they'd heard it before)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Instead the federal government tells states how it must be done and then border state governors and their citizens shoulder the brunt of the problems, which eventually bleed over into every state.

[fieldmarshaldj]

So now you’ve done from denying or playing down his association with La Raza to EMBRACING it ? This is a racial supremacist organization whose goals are the “reconquest” of a large chunk of the United States. And you wonder why Perry is in the single digits in support.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

So now you’ve done from denying or playing down his association with La Raza to EMBRACING it ?

If you heard that you didn't listen to the speech. Perry is about fixing the problem not creating more.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Funny, all he seems to do is create more problems.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You’re running out of steam fieldmarshaldj.

[hocndoc]

That’s another patently false, little statement of your own unsubstantiated opinion. Your emotional noise adds nothing to our knowledge, less to our discussion and tells us that you run on what “seems” rather than on documented facts.

[mkjessup]

[fieldmarshaldj]

It’s your candidate who’s a dead duck.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Your idol and his deluded little flunkies are the only ones here with no credibility and facts on their side.

[fieldmarshaldj]

*snicker*

[mkjessup]

I thought you might like that. ;)

[fieldmarshaldj]

Ricky’s gotta grow those retro ‘70s sideburns. That’ll show the kids he’s really “with it.”

[SWAMPSNIPER]

If they weren't getting here in the first place we wouldn't have this problem

It all comes down to sealing the border and deporting any and all leakage instantly.

[mkjessup]

The sideburns would be an improvement I think.

btw, LOVE that tagline of yours, LOL

[org.whodat]

ROFLOL, yes, by giving them instate tuition sure proves that. Perry is a doofus.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Thank you... Yes...

Maybe Ricky can even get an Elvis jumpsuit complete with camel-toe. The ‘winkles will go wild with desire.