Groups seek to reinstate care for illegal immigrants

Star-Telegram ^ | 7-12-06 | ANTHONY SPANGLER

[Dysart]

FORT WORTH -- The Tarrant County League of Women Voters is joining another political advocacy group’s campaign to expand publicly funded healthcare to illegal immigrants through JPS Health Network clinics.

The group is expected to ask the Tarrant County Hospital District board Thursday to reverse its position on charity care for illegal immigrants at JPS clinics. The board could consider the request at its August meeting.

The board voted in 2004 to restrict charity care to legal residents of Tarrant County. Illegal immigrants can still access JPS clinics if they have health insurance or if they pay cash for services.

“I think the public needs to be aware that JPS is a public hospital district, and there is a mission to the poor and low-income residents of Tarrant County,” said Charlotte Hyams, first vice president of the Tarrant County League of Women Voters. “We are going to urge the board to reconsider their 2004 vote. We believe that JPS’ mission is to provide healthcare for the indigent, including the undocumented immigrants who live here.”

Under federal law, no patient can be denied treatment in an emergency room. The JPS board voted 6-4 to prevent illegal immigrants from utilizing the network’s charity program, Connection, following an opinion issued by the Texas attorney general that leaves the decision up to hospital districts whether to extend such programs to noncitizens.

Last month, Allied Communities of Tarrant asked the JPS board to include illegal immigrants in charity healthcare. Board Chairwoman Erma Johnson Hadley, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, said last month that the board would consider the issue after JPS administrators studied the impact of such a policy change.

Some JPS board members have said that the taxpayer-supported hospital district must first serve the legal residents of Tarrant County before spending money on illegal immigrants. In an informal poll of the 11-member board, a majority say they would vote to continue prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving charity care at JPS clinics.

JPS staff members are gathering information from other public hospitals to estimate the cost of “servicing the undocumented population,” said JPS spokesman Robert Earley, senior vice president of public affairs and advocacy.

“We are also in the midst of communicating with any and all sources to best determine what the undocumented population is for Tarrant County,” he said. “I have asked ACT to provide any numbers that they have.”

JPS is also analyzing its own records to help estimate how many illegal immigrants may live in Tarrant County. After JPS stopped serving illegal immigrants at its clinics in 2004, about 3,100 such patients were identified as enrolled in Connection, according to Star-Telegram archives.

Although the issue is not on today’s hospital board agenda, members of Allied Communities of Tarrant and the Tarrant County League of Women Voters said they will ask the board to vote on the policy at the August meeting.

“We are trying to maintain a relationship with JPS because they do a lot of good things,” said Patricia Gaffney, a spokeswoman for Allied Communities.

The group, which is made up of mostly church leaders, presented a plan to help JPS better reach the county’s indigent population and to help educate the public about how to access the public health system.

JPS officials say they would welcome a grassroots relationship with Allied Communities to better serve those in need of healthcare.

Hyams of the League of Women Voters said her group of about 150 members has studied the issue of healthcare for illegal immigrants since September. They will present their findings today at the JPS board meeting.

[Dysart]

Here we have the Tarrant County League Of Women Voters lobbying a public hospital system board to reverse its 2004 decision to restrict charitable health care to legal citizens.

It so happens that my tax dollars support this program so it's of particular interest to me. We aren't talking about emergency care here, but ongoing comprehensive health care services. I have a solution: each esteemed member of The League of Women Voters should sponsor at least one illegal and be responsible for all of said illegal's health care costs, removing the burden from the general population who overwhelmingly oppose paying for their health care. It's a win-win proposal.

[freeangel]

I was just thinking the same thing. There would be nothing to prevent the League from paying for all the ILLEGAL health care that it, or any liberal group, wants to pay for. Just quit sucking the taxpayers dry.

[Dysart]

That's it. I shall email them my idea at once. I'm sure my little program for them will be just the ticket to remove their liberal guilt or feed their philanthropic urges. And it won't cost me a dime. :)

[conservativecorner]

The complete madness of some of the American people is unbelievable. For God's sake you have citizens who are hurting and in need of the health care these people steal by being in this country in the first place. They are illegal aliens who deserve nothing but a bus ticket home.

[mirkwood]

A Somali arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States. He
stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, "Thank
you
Mr. American for letting me in this country, and giving me housing, food
stamps, free medical care and free education!"

But the passer-by says "You are mistaken, I am Mexican."

The man goes on and encounters another passer-by. "Thank you for having
such
a beautiful country here in America!"

The person says "I no American, I Vietnamese."

The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes
his hand and says "Thank you for the wonderful America!"

That person puts up his hand and says "I am from Middle East, I am not an
American!"

He finally sees a nice lady and asks suspiciously, "Are you an
American?"

She says, "No, I am from Russia!" So he is puzzled, and asks her,
"Where are
all the Americans?"

The Russian lady looks at her watch, shrugs, and says ... "Probably at
work!"

[Chode]

better yet... take that same money, and SEND THEIR AZZ BACK HOME!!!

[sarasmom]

It would be interesting to know what a basic health insurance 80/20 policy premium a legal resident of that county has to pay to get the same "care" these socialist PAC groups want to "give" to illegals, and calculate what percentage of the legal resident's taxes should be refunded back to them...
Perhaps more low income legal residents could actually afford health insurance, if they were not already paying via taxation schemes for illegal aliens, and various slackers and socialists medical care.
Is it possible insurance premiums would decrease for everyone, regardless of income level, if fewer numbers of government mandated programs designed to unfairly benefit the "we are criminals, and we don't have to pay for anything" recipients, were mandated to be served?
What additional cutting edge health care treatments would our wounded and disabled military veterans receive if these PAC groups cared a whit about our constitution?
Just a few thoughts, as I fly naked(without health insurance) because I can't afford the COBRA premiums, and it is another 60 days before I am eligible to pay a $500.00 a month premium for a plan with a 5K annual deductible before any benefits kick in.

[Millicent_Hornswaggle]

“I think the public needs to be aware that JPS is a public hospital district, and there is a mission to the poor and low-income residents of Tarrant County,” said Charlotte Hyams, first vice president of the Tarrant County League of Women Voters. “We are going to urge the board to reconsider their 2004 vote. We believe that JPS’ mission is to provide healthcare for the indigent, including the undocumented immigrants who live here.”

Fine. If that is what you think the mission is, Ms. Charlotte Hyams, YOU can pay for these illegal migrants healthcare. I DON'T WANT TO!!!

[harpu]

Hmmmmm..."...Charlotte Hyams, first vice president of the Tarrant County League of Women Voters. “We believe that JPS’ mission is to provide healthcare for the indigent, including the undocumented immigrants who live here.”

BEGS the question; "Why do women think they have anything to say that's worth listening to?"

[Dysart]

Is it possible insurance premiums would decrease for everyone, regardless of income level, if fewer numbers of government mandated programs designed to unfairly benefit the "we are criminals, and we don't have to pay for anything" recipients, were mandated to be served?

No doubt rates would lower if everyone would receiving "free" health care paid their fair share. I've toyed with the idea of what the value of a tax refund(for recovered subsidized health care) would be myself. I do realize that there will always be a certain percentage of people who cannot pay for a multitude of valid reasons. I'm okay with that.  But for citizens of another country sneak into this country and take these benefits which they are not entitled to,  then I have a problem.  One of the biggest inflationary factors in high health care costs is, of course, excessive litigation. But that's a whole 'nother subject.

 I'm uninsured as well currently and have been for a couple of years. I was misdiagnosed with a rare blood disorder two years ago, and have been informed that even though the dx was erroneous, I must wait three years before they can underwrite me.  I'm self-employed(in the health care industry!) and have been paying out of pocket for my medical expenses for two years now. Fortunately, this hasn't amounted to much as I'm actually quite healthy.

[theBuckwheat]

These people are illegally here. That is a disqualifier, especially since the taxes to pay for their treatment are extracted from lawful citizens and residents by the implied threat of deadly force.

A person who says I must pay for the care of an illegal is saying that is worth sending the SWAT team to collect the taxes.

The advocates of this policy are welcome to hold a telethon, bake sale, or offer to wash cars to raise the funds for their "compassion". If they asked for money like Jerry Lewis asks (politely and with a smile), maybe they would be surprised at how much people like myself would donate.

But please, don't depreciate the meaning of citizenship by demanding that I pay for the care of people who knew they were sneaking into the country, primarily for their own economic benefit.

[Dysart]

So far we have no support on this thread for "free" health care for illegals. It's a tiny sample, granted, but I say it reflects the wishes of most.

[Millicent_Hornswaggle]

Okay, I'm hoping your being funny. There are some brain-dead males out there, Gore et el, who really aren't worth listening to either!

[theBuckwheat]

It is not that I don't have compassion. I fully support my wife, who is the Director of Client Services of a local charity.

However, we have a crisis that threatens our national sovereignty, our safety, our health, even our national identity. That crisis is caused by our almost open border, particularly on the South.

We are being flooded with Mexicans, some of whom carry diseases, some of whom carry drugs, and most of whom are coming here, not to become Americans, but to get jobs.

If we want American to remain American, we must control who gets in and how many we let in. It is that simple. The issue is the rate at which Mexicans and other South Americans can assimilate into our society. When too many people come in at too high a rate, they don't assimilate. Instead we see exactly what we saw a few months ago in LA: people who want to make parts of the US into Mexico.

They came here for the lifestyle and the jobs. They don't have a clue as to why Mexico is so poor, but they sure wave the Mexican flags at immigration rallies. Yet, they now want the US to be Mexican once again. Go Figure! This is not assimilation, it is invasion.

Exporting poor and uneducated people is the deliberate policy of the Mexican government. We must do whatever it takes to regain control of our borders, and that must include reducing the reasons these people sneak into the US in the first place.

[gubamyster]

ping

[AppleButter]

That's it. I shall email them my idea at once. I'm sure my little program for them will be just the ticket to remove their liberal guilt or feed their philanthropic urges.

If you can find an email or physical address, why don't you post it on this thread so we can ALL make the same suggestion? I tried Google but could find no contact info.

[taxed2death]

Exactly. I can't believe some people think they have the right to go into your wallet and hand out your hard earned money.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The complete madness of some of the American people is unbelievable. For God's sake you have citizens who are hurting and in need of the health care these people steal by being in this country in the first place.

Advocates of socialized medicine see it the opposite way: "If we can give free health care to illegals, then we have a powerful argument that citizens should get it too." It's a deliberate, Trojan Horse approach to adopting HillaryCare.

[dalereed]

They misspelled the name of the organization, it's The League of Women Vipers!

[brytlea]

Excellent proposal.
susie