Posted on 12/21/2006 10:36:36 AM PST by NormsRevenge
As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers seek ways to care for millions of Californians without medical insurance, a study released Wednesday says policy changes will be difficult to implement because of differences in how residents use the health care system.
The 183-page report by the Public Policy Institute of California also dispels some commonly held beliefs, finding that immigrants and their children generally don't seek care at hospitals and emergency rooms any more often than U.S.-born residents.
"With the nation now approaching 12 million illegal immigrants, the issue of un- or underinsured Americans has reached critical proportions," said PPIC President and Chief Executive Officer David W. Lyon. "Meanwhile, Californians have an interest in health insurance not only because so many regions of the state have low-wage workers but also because the cost of providing care to the uninsured inevitably rests with the county governments and taxpayers of the state."
The findings come as Schwarzenegger seeks solutions to fix the crippled health care system in California, which has 6.6 million uninsured people, more than any other state. Schwarzenegger says the average California family pays about $1,200 a year in health insurance premiums to cover the uninsured. Next year, the governor said he'd like to address this "hidden tax" and work to make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone.
Earlier this month, state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, unveiled a proposal that would provide coverage for all uninsured working Californians, or 4.2 million people. The remaining 2 million people would continue to receive care through the public health system. But some critics question whether government intervention will help or create more problems.
"The best way to reduce health care costs is to inject more competition and less, not more, government interference," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. "The notion that all taxpayers should pay for the health care of individuals who don't bother to even try to get insurance themselves is morally wrong."
As lawmakers debate the issue, PPIC research fellow Marianne Bitler said the report underscores the complexities in fixing the state's health care system.
"The results of this study both challenge and support some widespread assumptions," Bitler said. "I think that many people might be surprised to know that these immigrant adults are no more likely than U.S.-born adults, and in some cases less likely than U.S.-born adults, to have used a hospital overnight during the two years before they were interviewed."
Dispelling common myths, the study also found that children with a foreign-born parent are no more likely than children with a U.S-born parent to use an emergency room. Children with a naturalized parent are less likely to do so.
"These findings suggest that concerns about immigrants and their children disproportionately using hospitals and ERs may not be well-founded for Los Angeles County," the report said.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has long raised concerns about the impact illegal immigrants have on the county health system, saying they cost taxpayers $360 million annually.
A recent Rand Corp. study released last month put the price tag at $204 million. It estimated that taxpayers spend about $1.1 billion annually for undocumented immigrants ages 18 to 64. The Rand study noted that immigrants use relatively few health services, primarily because they are generally healthier than their American-born counterparts.
County Department of Health Services spokesman Michael Wilson said the PPIC study is in line with the department's view that undocumented residents are just one component - not the cause - of the county's health-care crisis.
"Without providing care to a single undocumented resident, the Department of Health Services would still have more patients without health insurance coverage, the cause of the department's chronic budget deficit," Wilson said. "The real problem is the growing numbers of uninsured and the rising costs of health care. The study shows the need for making health care reform and broad insurance coverage a national priority."
The report found Latinos are more likely than any other group to be uninsured, noting that about 38 percent of Latino adults and 24 percent of Latino children are uninsured.
The study also found that Latino and Asian adults are less likely than white adults to see doctors - and Latinos were less likely to see dentists. In contrast, black adults were somewhat more likely than white adults to have seen a doctor.
Is this debatable?
government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem
--Ronald Reagan
"immigrants and their children generally don't seek care at hospitals and emergency rooms any more often than U.S.-born residents"
If they use them at all it's a problem. I'd love to see the figures on how often residents pay their bill versus illegals.
Obviously, the author has never stepped foot in an emergency room in CA, FL or NY...
Fudging figures with PC intentions. While it may be true that "without illegals" there would still be a problem of uninsured patients not paying for services, the illegals --- who are a bunch more uninsured --- are adding even more to the problem.
Illegal immigrantion can have only one of three effects on medical care budgets:
1. No effect.
2. A positive effect.
3. A negative effect.
This article implies that illegals are having no effect. That's not really possible, is it?
Yo! Troy! I personally invite you to accompany me to a local hospital on any given day, any time of the day. Are you up to it?
More excuse making for illegals.
If the illegals (immigrants) seek care at hospitals and emergency rooms as often as U.S.-born residents that will burden the system. They don't have to go there more often; just as often will do. - tom
Illegal or legal? Too many people use the term interchangeably for misleading purposes.
Bitler said. "I think that many people might be surprised to know that these immigrant adults are no more likely than U.S.-born adults, and in some cases less likely than U.S.-born adults, to have used a hospital overnight during the two years before they were interviewed."
An overnight stay is not the same a illegal alien abuse of the E.R.
Absolute total bull puckey! Whoever wrote that has never been to a California E.R.
The report seems to be consistent with the experience in Illinois. Antis have been posting that "California is different". Not being in CA, I have no reply to that.
Here in Illinois, JJ and Sister Edith have been paid to sign up participants in KidCare healthcare, mostly through Black and Spanish congregations. Both have been dismal failures.
I've seen the priest tell immigants in Spanish Mass that if they don't sign up their kids for Kidcare, they are not good Catholics and not good parents. He virtually threatens to turn them in to ICE if they don't sign up. After mass the white liberal deacons and nuns stand at the exits from mass and try to trap parishioners into signing up. The parishioners are very skilled at escaping from these white liberals. Few get trapped into signing up. Of course, in order for them to get their money from us taxpayers, the white liberals sign up participants whose names they have access to without the consent of those people.
Kidcare has been such a dismal failure that the state has been unable to spend all the free money that has come from Washington. Thus governor Blago has expanded Kidcare to ALLCARE. Like any good liberal, if a program fails, it is because it was too small and underfunded. So they create a bigger program to make up for what they see as the shortcomings of the limited program.
Hey Troy- 1000's pf bank robbers don't cause higher bank fees either because bank robbers ligitimately use the banks about as often as non bank robbers too- BRILLIANT Arguement sir! Kick every illegal out of America and watch health care costs decline- Troy obviously needs a full year of common sense night classes. perhaps longer- he's pretty far gone. http://sacredscoop.com
This is a telling statement. Is the issue related to health care for American citizens or illegal immigrants? Or, does this statement imply illegal immigrants are Americans? Hummmmm....
The Cook County (IL) Hospital, and its satellite clinics are bleeding money.
LOL! Exactly why you see emergency rooms throughout the Southwest packed to the gills with those darn white people every day!
ping
Exactly!
I took my daughter who is 3 mnths pregnant and was having pains to a local emergency room last wk. We were one of 3 caucasians in the waiting room.
When they registered her my daughter asked if they wanted her insurance card. The lady said...if you want to give it to me because legally I can't ask for it.
When she finally got back in the er room itself the lab guy who was hispanic was so busy doing translations that he couldn't even do his job.
What a pitiful mess our hospitals are in!
They can give all the BS reports they want to but they will NEVER convince me...I have been there, done that, seen it!
I'll bet they never ask for payment, either. Mexicans walking around with big rolls of maney and wiring billions back to their country, but we pay for their medical care?????
The University of Arizona Hospital (Tucson) wrote off more than $10 million in losses occurring from treating illegals last year. This proves that treating illegals at our medical facilities has no effect on healthcare costs.
I think the problem may be that it is difficult to tell whose illegally here, as I doubt they are allowed to ask the citizenship status of patients. How did they come by their *figures*?
susie
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