Today there was a doctor from San Jose who informed me that the San Jose Medical Center had closed. I was astounded in as much as San Jose is the center of Silicon Valley where there would never be a problem with money.
I said to the doc "why did it close?" His answer was a stupid one. "They ran out of money."
I responded, "too many illegals getting free treatment?"
The liberal doc gave me a look that I should have photographed and I will never forget. His disdain for my question and for me was just remarkable.
Of course in the big picture of things we little people in Southern Utah just do not have the level of understanding needed to comprehend how free treatment can make a hospital close.
I responded, "too many illegals getting free treatment?"
And the trial lawyers probably sucking the life out of the hospital.
While I was visiting her there, a haughty "Case Administrator" (nurse on steroids?) visited her room. Seeing my helmet, she commented with something snotty like, "Oh, riding our donorcycle today, are we?"
I kick myself now for not thinking of it at the time -- I was a little distracted -- but a perfect comeback would've been, "Hey, cupcake: Unlike the hordes of Illegal Aliens I just waded through in your lobby, I AM PAYING FOR THIS TREATMENT. Now take your snide lifestyle commentary and GET THE HELL OUT."
Lots of reasons why these hospitals go bust. But one of the biggest is simply that there aren't enough doctors to staff them all.
It's far, far, far from being just illegals who are getting free or nearly-free treatment. A great part of the problem with hospitals like San Jose (whose books I have studied as part of my employment) is that many or most of the patients are Medical/Medicare recipients. If 67-year-old Pedro, a US citizen, gets a myocardial infarction and racks up a $75,000 bill, Medicare pays the hospital about $10,000. If legal immigrant Kwon Lee has a premie who generates $400,000 in charges, Medical pays the hospital $50,000. In both cases the patients are not expected to pay a red cent for their care. What business can keep running like that? They don't get enough Blue Cross/Blue Shield patients to even things out.
I work in trauma services for the only trauma center in a five county area, and our department is not exactly a cash cow -- it hemorrhages $$$$. Much trauma is caused by risky behavior and these people are rarely fiscally responsible. It's a given for us that 90% of our most critically injured will be uninsured.
Just don't get in a severe accident. You will die before they can find a hospital that will take you... if they can find one.