The term "blood boiling" doesn't begin to describe my contempt for this article or the person who could make the assinine comment highlighted in red.
Californians have been screaming from the rooftops over this issue. They've been doing it for twenty ------- years! We have been providing healthcare to indigent patients, illegal aliens whenever they present themselves. How many times must I say that over 90% of all births to Los Angeles County owned hospital are to illegal immigrants before some major media outlet catches on? How many times must we discuss the bursting at the seams LAUSD whose student populace is more than 1/3rd the children of illegal immigrants? How many times must we discuss the issue of the $3 billion dollar price tag for schooling the illegal segment of the LAUSD.
Arizona, with all due respect, you are not the worst case. Traditionally California has taken in 50% of all immigrants. We have taken in at least that of the illegal immigrants. We are one state. We have bared the same burden shared by 49 other states. Get it?
Let me tell a little story about one indigent patient. People traditionally think of maternity services when they think of illegal aliens. The truth is every medical service under the sun is provided to illegal aliens. Internal medicine, psychological care, maternity, surgery and other services are extended to them.
I'm going to tell you a story about one indigent. I do not know if it was an illegal or not. It makes no difference, because it could just as easily have been. And it may have been, I'm just not sure.
We admitted a patient to our hospital. Services were provided. Complications set in and we soon found ourselves with a patient that we couldn't get rid of. The patient's bill was capitated by the state. We recieved some stipend for the proper charge code, then we were on our own. Because complications had set in, the hospital's legal staff was reluctant to discharge this patient against his wishes. Being an indigent patient, this person determined that they had life easier on the inside, rather than if they were discharged.
Over nine to fifteen months, can't remember the exact term of this patient's "visit", they ran up a tab of over $450,000. This patient was one of the biggest A.H.s on the face of the planet. They made demands that would have led any normal person want to... Their family came to visit. They'd come in with suitcases. They'd leave with suitcases filled with linens and anything else that wasn't tied down.
Let me tell you, those who work in the healthcare industry in California have seen it all. Arizona, get in line. If you think you've seen the worst of it, dream on.
This is an important issue. The fact that it is reported at all is amazing. The fact that they chose Arizona to spotlight was unfortunate, since Arizona's outlay is probably 5% of what California's is. The media is very skillful in their ability to spotlight an issue yet prevent it from seeming to be the massive problem that it actually is. The stupid comment by the lady from Arizona simply gave the media the cover to ignore California's massive illegal immigrant healthcare related debt.