[Pubbie]

Rearranging the chairs on the Titanic - $1 Billion doesn't buy what it used to.

[Zipporah]

.."A little-publicized provision in the Medicare bill passed late last year will make about $1 billion available to hospitals, such as Jackson Memorial Hospital, that provide emergency care to undocumented immigrants."

.. what else is there to say? Speaks for itself.

[SouthernFreebird]

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican from Palm Beach County who pushed for the GAO study, said that compensating Florida is the right thing to do because the government has not done enough to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the state

Problem is WE are the goverments purse... they are taking our money to pay for the illegals we don't want here. Our goverment has long ago ceased being by the people, for the people.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

At Jackson, one of the busiest public hospitals in the country, hospital administrators ask patients only to prove that they live in Miami-Dade County.

You can be an illegal resident of the country, just as long as you are a "legal" resident of Miami-Dade County. Unbelievable!

I've got my own amnesty proposal. Offer anyone in this country illegally a free bus ticket home, and a chance to reapply for a legitimate work visa in six months. Anyone who doesn't leave the country voluntarily will be deported, and forever lose any chance of coming here legally. At the same time, seal the borders. If we have to build an electric fence from California to Florida, then build it.

[Calpernia]

"Pings" JP....ducks and runs ^-^

[Stopislamnow]

Lets just stop paying taxes.

They cant throw us all in jail.

[JoeSchem]

The money would chip away at the growing amount of so-called ''charity care'' that many hospitals say poses a serious financial burden.

Not since Clinton referred to taxes as 'contributions' have I seen a more weasly excuse for public spending. In the first place, it wasn't charity, and in the second place, Americans were paying the financial burden of illegal immigration health care by higher charges in the emergency room. The only difference is now the emergency room charges will go down a bit or stay the same, while taxes for increased federal spending will go up.

Either way, Americans will be shafted the same amount, because the same amount has to be paid.

[Beck_isright]

OK, so we're giving hospitals $1B for illegal alien care. Why don't we give drug dealers $1B to create more efficient distribution systesm? After all, illegal activities need all the help they can get, right?

[dagnabbit]

Divide that ranch out near Crawford, TX into 1-acre parcels. Each time an illegal skips a big hospital bill, the hospital gets 1 acre.

Any leader who wants to give our country away should learn that charity begins at home.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

That's a drop in the bucket of course. Perhaps if the American taxpayers in other states can get a taste of what the Western states face daily, they'll wake up and oppose the illegal invasion. They're such a drain on our states in the West, our taxes keep going up and up to subsidize the cheap labor that benefits a FEW. I'm sick and tired of it.

[Mamzelle]

re: By law, hospitals cannot turn away patients who show up in their emergency rooms or ask them about their immigration status. )))

Hospitals can shut down their emergency rooms, however, to everyone.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

"U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican from Palm Beach County who pushed for the GAO study, said that compensating Florida is the right thing to do because the government has not done enough to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the state."

Uh, oh, I seeeeee.... Because the stupid lawmakers we elect -- who are all highly paid with great pensions and no medical care worries -- make big boo-boos and don't enforce the stupid laws they make, we little taxpayers have to pay for illegals health needs even if we don't even have any damn darn heathcare plans of our own! Unbelievable...

You know, as soon as lawmakers get a clue as to who it is who pays for all thi shi_, then we will all be better off. The government doesn't have money growing on trees! WE little people are the government -- the government is not an inanimate object. Us hardworking peons are! It is we who sacrifice for illegals and yet who is it who pays our way??? No one.

Do illegal aliens get notices from the collection agencies when they can't immediately pay their hospital, doctor, tests, and medicine bills? Well, normal taxpaying, legal citizens with no heathcare plans often do.

[Dubya]

USA

At least six of the highjackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks broke immigration laws and potentially could have been stopped
from entering the country, according to a preliminary report by a
special commission investigating them. During two days of hearings that
ended Tuesday, the bipartisan panel also said the Federal Aviation
Administration downplayed the threat of suicide hijackers before the
attacks, considering aircraft bombings a more immediate danger. The
commission requested a two-month extension for its final report, saying
it won't be ready by the May 27 deadline.

[fatso]

taxpayers money

[lonewacko_dot_com]

Just a minor note on newspeak: "undocumented" appears 9 times, while "illegal" only appears twice. The author's email is dovalle@herald.com

[goldstategop]

Repealing the law that forces hospitals to provide uncompensated NON EMERGENCY care to illegal aliens would be a first step. Then pass a law billing their home country for the full cost of all emergency hospital services rendered. Its morally obscene not to mention financially unconscionable to leave American taxpayers stuck with the tab for people who have no right to be here in the first place.

[JerseyHighlander]

Just between 2 counties, Westchester Medical and Nassau Medical, in NY, could take at least 15% of the $1 billion. NY state has probably accumulated more than $1 billion in "Charity Care" costs in the last 3 years. There are four other immigrant gateway states, each who could easily consume $1 Billion in tax dollars, to simply continue to be able to provide what was standard care to working class citizens 10 years ago. This will be a $5 billion a year program within 6 years. After that, private insurance no longer "works" in the new American medical system...

[gubamyster]

ping

[realpatriot71]

GOOD! Until the government starts policing they're own border, and until the governemnt stops making hospitals treat illegals legaly, they government should give money to the Hospitals. Of course we could avoid the entire issue, by (1) not giving social services to those who do not pay taxes for them (2) put up a a very large wall, and (3) agressively pursue any illegal aliens currently in country.

[MissAmericanPie]

That "Compassionate Conservatism" sure smacks of an overthrow of the legitimate American citizen.