(Medicare) Bill includes $1 billion for immigrant care

El Paso Times ^ | November 22, 2003 | Sergio Bustos

[FITZ]

WASHINGTON -- Landmark Medicare legislation moving through Congress would give hospitals at least $1 billion during the next four years to cover the spiraling costs of providing emergency services for undocumented immigrants.

The provision would be particularly crucial for hospitals near the U.S.-Mexico border, including hospitals in El Paso.

The House was expected to vote on the Medicare measure today. A Senate vote may not come until Monday.

"We're keeping our fingers crossed," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Kyl is the author of the original legislation to reimburse hospitals, and he persuaded lawmakers to include the money in the $395 billion Medicare bill. He was among a small group of lawmakers who negotiated the controversial bill, which would create a prescription drug benefit for the first time since Medicare was enacted in 1965.

Kyl spent the week fighting off attempts by other lawmakers to remove the $1 billion from the bill.

That battle is far from over. Some House members, led by Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a vocal critic of immigration policy, have threatened to vote against the bill solely because of Kyl's provision. He called it a "billion-dollar boon for illegal aliens," charging that the provision would encourage more illegal immigration.

A borderwide study released last year found that undocumented immigrants racked up $190 million in unpaid bills at 77 border hospitals in 2000.

[FITZ]

free health care for foreigners

[OpusatFR]

Next thing you know, they get to vote.

I understand the underlying reasons for all this. But I also believe that the reasons are wrong. The powers-that-be are creating a situation that will strangle this country eventually.

[buffyt]

And we have to PAY for ours! Man are we ever stuck in the middle.

The producers being robbed by the looters once again.

[Geezerette]

... and we here in AZ thought Jon Kyl was a "conservative"???

g

[Dr Warmoose]

Imagine how much border enforcement $1 Billion would provide.

[FITZ]

I don't think he sounds like a conservative --- it sounds like it's "come one, come all for your completely free health care -- thanks to the US taxpayers".

[Geezerette]

Am I missing something here? What has paying for ILLEGAL ALIEN medical bills have to do with MEDICARE??

g

[Tacis]

Well, fine. That may help the terrible tax burden that these hospitals that treat Mexican criminals are on the local property tax payers here in Texas. But, even mentioning this posting's headline will cause thousands more Mexicans illegal criminals to break into our country to obtain their medical treatment, treatment to which they are entitled. SEAL THE FRIGGEN BORDER!!!

[Dante3]

Some of our politicians are working double time to damage this country. As for my tax dollars -- I sure don't want them spent on foreigners.

[FITZ]

Also much of the free health care being give out along the border isn't even to illegal residents living in the USA, they come up from all over Mexico very sick and cross the border to get to US hospitals. This system works well for the super-rich in Mexico --- they get all that money from their socialized oil, they pay no taxes, they don't need to build any hospitals from their own money, the poor are kept satisfied because they still get free health care but in the USA.

[Geezerette]

I was referring to the myth that he and John McCain are really regarded as conservative here in AZ!!! McCain, according to polls here, is "the most popular politician in Arizona". So the so-called conservative voters keep voting him and now Kyl in.

g

[FITZ]

Medicare is no longer for America's retired population. AIDS patients can retire at 32 and have Medicare take care of them, immigrants can get it. It's only Americans who work who are being told they can't receive it until a certain age.

[traumer]

'undocumented' immigrants....

[Geezerette]

Yes, I know. Arizona does not have "MEDICAID" for po' folks ... we have a thing called ACCESS (pronounced Access, but spelled a little differently.) That is a state thing ... our democRAT governor keeps whining that the po' folks aren't getting "theirs".

Is Tom Tancredo from Colorado? If so, looks like the Coloradans are a lot sharper than us Zonies.

g

[FrogMom]

I think he did it to keep more hospitals from closing down here. Pretty soon, we won't be able to get emergency services because the hospitals are closing, they can't afford to keep being forced to treat the flood.

[TexasCajun]

There's nothing conservative about this Republican Administration at all!!

[FITZ]

I think he did it to keep more hospitals from closing down here.

All throughout rural America, hospitals have closed and are closing --- no huge bailouts. Some of these hospitals along the border already only exist for people from Mexico --- Americans no longer use them. This $1 billion is only a beginning --- for one these aren't even Mexico's retirees that are to benefit from this. Medicare was supposed to be a program for our retired population but now we've included anyone from Mexico who wants free health care --- no matter what age.

[FITZ]

I think he did it so that hospitals won't ever need to turn any case from Mexico away ---- it's all very big business --- the hospitals are happy as long as the government gives them all this money --- they're perfectly happy to make a lot of money treating the people from Mexico who won't invest in their own health care system.

[Dante3]

We have numerous US Citizens who are not able to afford needed medical care.