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Illegal immigrants not U.S. health care burden: study
Reuters ^

Posted on 11/26/2007 1:28:09 PM PST by Sub-Driver

Illegal immigrants not U.S. health care burden: study Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:14pm EST

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illegal Latino immigrants do not cause a drag on the U.S. health care system as some critics have contended and in fact get less care than Latinos in the country legally, researchers said on Monday.

Such immigrants tend not to have a regular doctor or other health-care provider yet do not visit emergency rooms -- often a last resort in such cases -- with any more frequency than Latinos born in the United States, according to the report from the University of California's School of Public Health.

The finding from Alexander Ortega and colleagues at the school was based on a 2003 telephone survey of thousands of California residents, including 1,317 undocumented Mexicans, 2,851 citizens with Mexican immigrant parents, 271 undocumented Latinos from countries other than Mexico and 852 non-Mexican Latinos born in the United States.

About 8.4 million of the 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States are Latino, of which 5.9 million are from Mexico, the report said.

"One recurrent theme in the debate over immigration has been the use of public services, including health care," Ortega's team wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Proponents of restrictive policies have argued that immigrants overuse services, placing an unreasonable burden on the public. Despite a scarcity of well-designed research ... use of resources continues to be a part of the public debate," they said.

The researchers said illegal Mexican immigrants had 1.6 fewer visits to doctors over the course of a year than people born in the country to Mexican immigrants. Other undocumented Latinos had 2.1 fewer physician visits than their U.S.-born counterparts, they said.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; closedemergencyrooms; crimaliens; freeloaders; healthcare; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; immigration; welfare
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To: Ajnin
We had one at San Bernardino County Hospital (1983-ish) for a couple of months. He tripped while jumping out of a rail car in the Colton rail yards, and the train amputated most of one foot.

Once he was considered releasable by the docs, he was given an ambulance ride to the border for ‘repatriation’.

The Mexicans at the border “examined” him, and pronounced that he was medically unfit for release in Mexico. The excuse was that he could not be expected to change the dressings and take oral medication himself, and Mexico didn’t have provisions to provide such services. He would have to go back to the Gringo hospital for further treatment...at county/Uncle Sam’s expense.

Two weeks later, I spent several hours making copies of his chart to accompany him to the border a second time, with the same result, with more trumped-up reasons.

Oh, and this time, they also said he had to be provided with a better, "suitable" (to them), prosthesis, as well. Chalk up another ambulance ride each way, for nothing.

Third time was the charm, after another two plus weeks of taking up a bed, free loading.

No; no burden at all.

141 posted on 11/26/2007 7:05:21 PM PST by ApplegateRanch (I'm no Hyphenated-Americican; I'm a Gringo-Chinafromexistanian, made in the USA by American workers)
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To: DoughtyOne
My study differs from this POS disinformation effort.

Sheesh, ya think? But then, you weren't as well funded prolly...

142 posted on 11/26/2007 7:06:59 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: Sub-Driver
"The researchers said illegal Mexican immigrants had 1.6 fewer visits to doctors over the course of a year than people born in the country to Mexican immigrants."

How do they know that? HIPAA prevents them from acquiring and revealing information they'd need for an accurate study.

Methinks this study was bought and paid for by your friendly Mexican OBL advocates, as it pinpoints illegal Mexicans as not being burdens.

143 posted on 11/26/2007 7:07:58 PM PST by azhenfud (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
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To: MileHi

Okay, I wasn’t as well funded, but I did have a bias going in like those who were better funded.


144 posted on 11/26/2007 7:10:16 PM PST by DoughtyOne (California, where the death penalty is reserved for wholesome values. SB 777)
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To: DoughtyOne
...but I did have a bias going in like those who were better funded.

See! That "truth" bias. That's why you don't get peer reviewed by Reuters. {:0)

145 posted on 11/26/2007 7:17:30 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: MileHi

Hmmm, I’ll have develop a better disclosure policy. LOL


146 posted on 11/26/2007 7:22:56 PM PST by DoughtyOne (California, where the death penalty is reserved for wholesome values. SB 777)
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To: Sub-Driver
yet do not visit emergency rooms -- often a last resort in such cases -- with any more frequency than Latinos born in the United States

Incredibly misleading "study". It doesn't matter how OFTEN they VISIT emergency rooms. It is the COST to hospitals of their care--which always goes unpaid. I know a fellow gringo with great health insurance whose family visits the ER at least twice a month. It is irrelevant. Insurance pays for it. By contrast, one CT hospital (Danbury Hospital) in the first SIX MONTHS of 2006, spent $4 million on care of 321 illegal aliens. ONLY ONE of those bills ($7k) was paid.

Extrapolate those numbers to the entire United States to gauge the fiscal catastrophe our healthcare system faces from illegal immigrants.

147 posted on 11/26/2007 8:53:25 PM PST by montag813
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To: Richard Axtell; Rockitz
"About 8.4 million of the 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States are Latino, of which 5.9 million are from Mexico."

The obfuscation was obvious right there as there are somewhere between 20 to 38 million illegals in the U.S. at this point - probably far more since no town seems to be free of the bariozation process. The mass media itself has been riding with the 12 million number since 2003, so whoever came up with the 10 million figure KNEW they were lying.

But hey, Rockitz...how does one address the illegal alien problem if you don't happen to be Madden? Say you have an aggressive group of short, brown guys who can't speak English constantly hanging outside of private businesses and at the corners of busy intersections badgering citizens to hire them? If you automatically assume most of them are illegal aliens are you:

a. unenlightened,

b. a racist, or

c. a realist

148 posted on 11/26/2007 9:54:39 PM PST by NewRomeTacitus
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To: NewRomeTacitus

Frankly, the answer is:

D. depressed ‘cause I see this on a daily basis, and I realize the tens of thousands of taxes I pay every year are going down a $h!+hole to pay for these people’s benefits because those who employ them are scumsuckers lining their own pockets at the expense of our society and culture.

Got any more questions?


149 posted on 11/26/2007 11:04:48 PM PST by Rockitz (This isn't rocket science- Follow the money and you'll find the truth.)
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To: massgopguy
We have to remember, anchor babies are not counted as illegal, and I doubt their mother's part of the bill is either. That is what is meant by: The researchers said illegal Mexican immigrants had 1.6 fewer visits to doctors over the course of a year than people born in the country to Mexican immigrants. Other undocumented Latinos had 2.1 fewer physician visits than their U.S.-born counterparts, they said. If you take the medical bills of anchor babies and move them to the illegal side you'd see the truth.
150 posted on 11/27/2007 12:49:10 AM PST by Razz Barry (Round'em up, send'em home.)
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To: Sub-Driver

Excuse me, but the only hospital back in my home county closed many years ago due to illegals bankrupting it.


151 posted on 11/27/2007 3:40:24 AM PST by mtbopfuyn (I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier - San Antonio councilwoman Patti Radle)
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To: Razz Barry
If you take the medical bills of anchor babies and move them to the illegal side you'd see the truth.

I'm not sure how you would do that. The only criteria they seem to have considered is how many times they went to see a doctor, based on interviews of the patients, not how much it cost. I doubt they even know. I think most people could get by with one or two fewer visits to the doctor per year - just skip the annual physicals and neglect followup visits. That'll make our health care cheaper, right?

152 posted on 11/27/2007 6:10:52 AM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic
I'm not sure how you would do that. The only criteria they seem to have considered is how many times they went to see a doctor, based on interviews of the patients, not how much it cost. I doubt they even know. I think most people could get by with one or two fewer visits to the doctor per year - just skip the annual physicals and neglect followup visits. That'll make our health care cheaper, right?

Right, the criteria was number of visits. Sorry, for not being clear. Newborns have regular doctor visits to check their progress. They also have more colds, therefore more doctor visits. I too think people could get by with fewer doctor visits. Those who don't have the "It free" taxpayer funded system get by with only going when they are sick. I know people who have not seen a doctor for years because they take care of themselves. I like the medical savings accounts where people are rewarded by staying well.

153 posted on 11/27/2007 8:49:29 PM PST by Razz Barry (Round'em up, send'em home.)
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To: brytlea; NewRomeTacitus; Rockitz
10 million is obviously wrong... 33 million plus much closer to reality, for one.

"The finding from Alexander Ortega and colleagues at the school was based on a 2003 telephone survey of thousands of California residents, including 1,317 undocumented Mexicans, 2,851 citizens with Mexican immigrant parents, 271 undocumented Latinos from countries other than Mexico and 852 non-Mexican Latinos born in the United States.

Imagine the questions you might hear had you been surveyed for this study:

"So, like... do you guys or girls or whoever go to emergency rooms and stuff, and not pay, and act strange, and cause them to close down?"

"Who us? Oh NO, man! We don't do that at all"

"Thank you for participating in our survey. Have a nice day."

154 posted on 11/28/2007 1:47:36 PM PST by Richard Axtell (Keith Oberman represents the nadir of American journalism.)
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To: Dead Corpse
I was in the Emergency room 3 times the 7 years I lived in Austin Texas.

I could have shortened my wait time to mere seconds just by walking in with an ICE hat on...

Phoenix area is the same I have had way to much experience with emergency rooms the last three years. To be very generous I would say 75% to 25% illegal to legal.

155 posted on 11/28/2007 2:40:09 PM PST by Irish Eyes
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