[NormsRevenge]

Not a peep if undocumenteds are contributing to this situation.

The Merc has been running a series this week about the state of things.

SPECIAL REPORT

L.A.'s critical condition
The needs of Los Angeles County's uninsured are overwhelming emergency rooms, forcing them to routinely turn away patients needing urgent care. Could this be the future of all of California?

RELATED LINKS:

	Read the poll data
	Part 1: Insurance costs more, covers less
	Part 2: Patients fear rising costs
	Part 3: Feeling the pain of drug costs
	More in Health

[Redcloak]

Why spend money on insurance when the County will happily pay your bills?

[balrog666]

Not one mention of illegal aliens? This "reporter" and his "editor" should both be fired.

[Texas_Jarhead]

Only someone ACTIVELY avoiding the issue of illegal aliens could write an article like this on this particular subject and not mention once the role of illegal aliens in the current predicament. How sad that so-called journalist are unable to see past their own agend in order to report the whole truth.

[monkeywrench]

The border states had nearly 190 million in unpaid hospital bills due to illegals. The writer really needed to factor them into this.

[lady lawyer]

My guess is that if you got rid of all the illegals, the emergency room personnel would be sitting around twiddling their thumbs. That HAS to be the main problem. And, they'll get all this care for free.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

That high level of care has kept Windley, 52, alive. She has survived three heart attacks and five cases of congestive heart failure, the last occurring when her best friend was shot on Windley's porch.

Unable to exercise because of her weakened heart, she suffers from obesity as well as arthritis, pre-diabetes, hypertension, sinus infections and a persistent depression she doesn't like to talk about.

Her husband, Sam, also battles pre-diabetes, as well as high cholesterol, sleep apnea and a mysterious infection in his large intestine. Neither can work because of their health.

"Some people should die. That's just unconscious knowledge." - Janes Addiction Pigs in Zen from Nothing's Shocking

[Jhensy]

ENFORCE THE FREAKIN' BORDERS! HEL-LO?!! McFLY??!!

[Fedupwithit]

The shock of that convergence, combined with a severe budget deficit in Los Angeles County, has pushed the health care system here to the edge. The financial collapse has already forced the closing of two of the county's six public hospitals and 16 of its 40 health clinics. A move to shut down two other hospitals -- including Harbor-UCLA -- galvanized Los Angeles voters in November to approve a rare property tax increase. For now, the two hospitals are saved.

How about just enforcing the laws of the country and STOP LETTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RUN THE BORDER!!

..its convenient that they are classified in this story as "not having any insurance"...they don't have a green card either.

[janetgreen]

This article is typical in California, with not ONE WORD about the real reason for this hospital crisis. ILLEGAL ALIENS who are using up all our social services, paid for by California taxpayers, under force.

[DumpsterDiver]

Not a peep if undocumenteds are contributing to this situation.

There is one paragraph that hints at the problem:

Inside the clinic, interim director Joe Keys sifts through a mountain of 5,000 letters telling such patients where they could now find help. All these letters came back -- stamped "Return to sender" because of moves or the false addresses many undocumented patients give their doctors.

I live about 5 miles from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and now and then I get bills sent to my address for these "undocumented patients".