Posted on 01/18/2024 1:25:20 AM PST by Libloather
The migrant crisis in Denver has plunged the city's main public hospital deep into the red after patients received $136 million in treatment they couldn't pay for.
Denver Health lost $2 million in 2022 - but that was substantially-reduced by a $20 million cash injection from the state.
In 2022, the hospital system lost $35 million, with bosses warning of 'dire consequences' for the hospital if 2024 is as bad as the previous two.
The rise in costs has coincided with the unprecedented number of immigrants who crossed America's border and arrived in Denver. Around 36,000 have arrived so far - many of them bused from Texas - with 18,000 deciding to stay.
Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne said that 8,000 migrants who came to the city from Central America made around 20,000 visits to the health system.
These included trips for dental emergencies, mental health counseling and childbirth.
Dr. Taylor McCormick, associate director of Pediatrics Emergency Medicine at Denver Health, The Denver Gazette: 'Overall, these patients don’t have medical insurance. Denver Health is eating the cost for many of these visits.'
That $136 million unpaid includes care to people covered by Medicaid which was later reimbursed and $100 million of the unpaid bills were run up by Denver residents, not migrants.
Further clarification on how much was spent treating migrant patients who were unable to pay has not yet been shared.
Lynne said: 'What I think is not being said is that Denver Health is at a critical, critical point, and that we need to take this up in 2024.
'Because our costs exceed our revenues, we are turning down patients every day, particularly in the area of mental health and substance abuse.
'While I have tremendous compassion for what’s going on, it’s heartbreaking, it’s going to break Denver...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Yep, just overload the system, Obama.
Cloward and Piven.
bttt
You can go throughout the US...past 20 years, and find dozens of hospitals that gave free care...failed and collapsed. Most were taken over, for pennies on the dollar, and bankruptcies cleared the lost funds. I think in some ways...the HR departments are bought off and are part of the agenda to fail the hospitals.
Illegals and others use the ER as their family doctor but they NEVER pay
Lots of them have access to gov’t benefits for free med attention. But they are too dumb or lazy to apply for it So, the hospital sends the account to collections where they get back pennies on the dollar….but
1. You buy a policy and pay a premium, (more all the time)
2. You pay a deductible
3. You pay for office visits
4. You pay taxes, so the indigent can get free care (this increases all the time)
5. You go the hospital, and YOUR bill is padded so the hospital can recover their losses
You pay 5 times before the doctor even touches you. ENOUGH!
BTW, in every election, some jackass Liberal candidate campaigns on calling you greedy and uncaring because you don't support their incessant demand for MORE free benefits to the indigent
and be sure to enter every little slot winnings on your income tax because we all got to pull our fair share of taxes....and be sure to get those property taxes in too.....
No. It’s been going on since the sixties
Check ER closures and hospital bankruptcies in California (mostly So Cal)
'Welfarism' is one of the avenues along the pathway to serfdom.
"Free" is on all the placards and billboards along the way.
Correct!
GIBS-ME-DAT-FREE-MEDICAL CARE!
Their traitorous plan working to perfection!
And yet idiots will still vote demoRat!
Maybe if America had a REAL president.
Good.
Pay a price for voting for democrats.
What happens when idiot leftists exercise power without thinking things through.
just do like California did and CLOSE THE HOSPITALS EMERGENCY ROOM.
Open and sanctuary city? Guess what happens. Idiots.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.