Hospital warns migrants to pay up: Says failure could mean deportation

The Arizona Republic ^ | November 29, 2003 | Susan Carroll

[sarcasm]

TUCSON - Uninsured immigrants who fail to pay their medical bills are being reported to immigration officials and warned that they could face deportation under a new University Medical Center policy.

This month, hospital workers started calling the federal bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to turn in "foreign nationals" with delinquent accounts, said Barbara Felix, UMC's international patient service's coordinator. The policy, affecting legal and undocumented immigrants, reflects the growing frustration of hospital administrators along the U.S.-Mexican border saddled with millions of dollars in uncompensated care. UMC alone has incurred $3.3 million in unpaid bills from immigrants since July.

[meyer]

It's a tough way to collect all right.

A better way might be to charge in advance - pay up with cash, credit, or insurance before the service is provided. I suppose that might be a little rough on those that are in really bad shape.

BTW, do they not have hospitals in Mexico?

[MinuteGal]

Where does it say in the Constitution that free medical care is a "basic human RIGHT"?

Oh, the Constitution.....what's that?

Leni

[autoresponder]

Tough

Your problem, not mine

[Lazamataz]

Tough Your problem, not mine

No, it is your problem. People who offer a "fact", then cannot cite a source, are discredited.

Enjoy your discredation. I, personally, will now view your presented "facts" with much more skepticism, and I imagine many people in the forum would feel the same.

[RKV]

"A quarter of all federal prisoners today are non-citizens" http://www.house.gov/judiciary/106-17.htm And that my friends, is how you use a search engine to check a fact. Use google early and often, it is your friend. Maybe use if before you post.

[ladylib]

I just spent $1,000 in the emergency room the other night. I don't have a decent medical insurance policy. I paid up by dipping into my savings.

These Mexicans have money. They send it back to their families -- billions of dollars a year.

I have no sympathy. Medical care is not free, especially for illegals.

Watch some federal court agree with them and stop the deportations.

[Lazamataz]

"A quarter of all federal prisoners today are non-citizens" http://www.house.gov/judiciary/106-17.htm And that my friends, is how you use a search engine to check a fact. Use google early and often, it is your friend. Maybe use if before you post.

Thanks, RKV. So autoresponder was elocuting from his anal cavity. I knew 50% was way too high. 25% is still sizable, but it is a lot more believable.

[TexasTransplant]

I am strongly against this outrageous hospital policy. It is completely wrong.

The hospital should report the illegals whether or not they pay.

Hospitals have just got to transport to INS that can in turn Medivac to the nearest Hospital of the Illegals Country of Origin or if that is not possible, Guantanemo to stabilize patient and have the Country of Origin Government retrieve the criminal.

 

[Amelia]

Guadalupe Castillo, a Tucson immigrant advocate, called on UMC to revoke the policy, saying it was "immoral" and "unethical." "It is the right of all human beings to receive medical care regardless of their citizenship," she said.

And it's the responsibility of all who recieve a service to arrange to pay for it. Rights come with matching responsibilities.

I suppose Ms. Castillo thinks the doctors and nurses donate their time?

[TexasTransplant]

A better way might be to charge in advance - pay up with cash, credit, or insurance before the service is provided. I suppose that might be a little rough on those that are in really bad shape.

Hospitals do that now, the Wife had Kidney Stones,

Do you have Insurance? If yes,  we need $10,000.00 Down and we will file for you with your Insurance Company.

If no, Would you like to make payments?

If yes, We need $10,000.00 down and we will Bill you for the Balance of $10,000.00

If you have no Insurance and you do not wish to make payments would you like to pay for everything up front (Yes they will do that!) We need $10,000.00 before we can start.

We found that paying up front for the Turn-key job to be our path of least resistance, and now in a two income family, one income goes to Health Insurance and the other to State and Federal Tax, I understand the folks in DC would like to streamline this for us and just cut out the Health Insurance middleman, we can just send everything to DC

 

 

 

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[itsahoot]

Congress voted to give $1 billion to hospitals over the next four years to supplement the cost of caring for uninsured immigrants.

Our government willingly spends money to care for illegals, that they won't spend on us. Of course we don't really need it.

[Froggie]

The form letter warns, "Failure to satisfy your financial obligations with UMC can affect your right to enter or remain in the United States."
Just what "RIGHT" do they have to enter and remain in the US? That is CRAZY...they are here illegally - they have no right to stay....
Beyond that, hospitals can't pass on costs--- their income is fixed by contracts with the insurance companies and Medicare/Medicaid... they eat the loss, and reduce services and care to cover their lost income - or in many cases close down as a lot of smaller hospitals in border areas of Texas are forced to do thereby decreasing access to care for the legals also!
The bill for mandated care (yes, the feds demand that all comers be treated regardless of ability to pay) should get the bill...that is the federal government...they might actually tighten the border if they were paying the freight...but no, that wouldn't be the politically expedient thing to do....
We need Congressman Tancredo or someone like him to make this a national priority - protect our borders....Bush and Ridge just don't have the political gonads to do it!

[buckalfa]

I agree with actions under taken by the hospital, but
what has not been mentioned and the article only hints at
(future federal assistance for burdened hospitals) is that
most hospitals already receive untold thousands of dollars
in what is known as Disportionate Share (DISH) from Medicare
and Medicaid. This is your tax dollars already being used
to pay for free care, and yet hospitals continue to scream
about uncompensated care and continue to raise prices for
you and me while looking for further federal corporate
welfare in terms of additonal tax handouts. Perhaps some
of ire should be directed at hospital administrators who
cry wolf to the public while they are pilfering our wallets
via Congress.

[jocon307]

"I think adult illegal aliens working or collecting in the USA, esp. with counterfeit federal and state IDs should all get 6 months hard labor and a 5 year probation period then deported"

Thanks for that clarification, it's easier to believe about the Federal Prisons. I have the impression we don't have all that many Federal prisoners.

Now, my next question, re: your statement quoted above, why wouldn't you just deport them? Ok, 6 mos. hard labor if you want to be punitive, but why would you let them stay 5 years and then throw them out?

IMO, people found here illegally, who have not otherwise violated the law, should just be deported. But what we really have to do is improve our methods of keeping them out in the first place. This can be done, there is just no will, in either party, to do it. This is truly a bi-partisan failure.

And I'm not sure vigilantism is the way, but I am 100% sure than immigration reform is going to be the next grassroots issue, the people are going to force the pols to respond and to act.

[FITZ]

And very many of these aren't living here or crossing the border illegally. Many have visitor visas that allow them to go shopping here, they cross the border to use the hospitals here. And another thing ---- many aren't poor, they have assets in Mexico where they live and work --- nice houses filled with servants but those assets can't have a lien put on them like with Americans' assets.

Anyone just mooching off the taxpayers of this country needs their visa taken away or be deported.

[autoresponder]

Just got FReepmailed fed & AZ prison stats of hispanics (all) of 32%-35%+

Less then 50% so far illegals, so my WABC 770am NYC source may have been off; I cannot verify ordispute as it's buried in my files

FBI-DOJ will not release any accurate or current violent crime stats on Puerto Rico

I can admit to a posted error, such as one in which I posted one day's Civil War batlle deaths, was corrected by a CW buff as battle being over several days, not just one day

As for your comments, they define yourself well

DU mentality at best

Keep it up, rave on

[Hildy]

Here's a question...If I go to a Mexican hospital, do I have to pay?

[Hildy]

I've never heard of asking patients to pay up front. Not saying it doesn't happen, but in 44 years, I've never heard of such a thing.

[mtbopfuyn]

Illegals with no documentation, illegal migrant workers constantly on the move, bogus addresses, packing up at midnight to avoid the landlord. Sure, how many past due notices returned with "unknown at this address" will hospitals send out before calling INS? Also, if under federal law, hospitals cannot ask about a patient's income or immigration status then how does the accounting office determine if one is illegal? Heaven help the clerk who reports Jose Jesus Hernandez Morales De la Garcia only to get sued for discrimination and racial profiling when he proves he's a US citizen.