Illegal Immigration Enters the Health-Care Debate
Posted: Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
By: San Antonio Tea Party
A health clinic in this blue-collar city north of Oakland, partly funded by the county, is saving local hospitals thousands of dollars in emergency-room visits by treating uninsured patients who suffer only non-urgent ailments.
A watchdog group is now calling on county officials to cut funding for clinic patients who can’t prove they are in the U.S. legally, a debate certain to surface in the national health-care overhaul.
With congressional proposals already stirring raw emotions, few supporters are eager to add the incendiary issue of illegal immigration. A provision in the House’s health-care-overhaul bill rules out federal funding for illegal immigrants.
But in many ways, illegal immigration is at the nexus of two key health issues: the uninsured and ballooning costs.
Roughly half of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. don’t have health insurance, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group. Like others who can’t afford medical care, illegal immigrants tend to flock to hospital emergency rooms, which, under a 1986 law, can’t turn people away, even if they can’t pay. Emergency-room visits, where treatment costs are much higher than in clinics, jumped 32% nationally between 1996 and 2006, the latest data available.
The role illegal immigrants play in U.S. health-care costs is “one hot button that no one wants to touch,” says Stephen Zuckerman, an economist at the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington.
Click here to read the entire Wall Street Journal story.
Tags: City North Of Oakland, Clinic Patients, Collar City, Congressional Proposals, Emergency Room Visits, Health Care Costs, Health Care Debate, Health Clinic, Hospital Emergency Rooms, Illegal Immigrants, Illegal Immigration, Incendiary Issue, National Health Care, Nonpartisan Research, Pew Hispanic Center, Raw Emotions, Stephen Zuckerman, Uninsured Patients, Wall Street Journal, Watchdog Group
San Antonio Tea Party
It seems so many people are confused about reality of responsibility. So many want it both ways- to have free health care and low taxes. We do not have the right to be comfortable. No one is required to give us a better life. We have the right to make choices- it’s liberty. We can choose to provide health care for ourselves or choose another option. We can invest our labors in something that will make us money or we can spend our money on what makes us comfortable. Choose new car or health care. The key is if the government is taking less from our income, we have more choices we can afford to make. Do you live to make the State of government comfortable or work for you and your family’s betterment?
Subject: Article from Wall Street Journal in San Antonio Tea Party Website___Illegal Immigration Enters the Health-Care Debate Roughly half of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. don’t have health insurance, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group.
Subject: Article from Wall Street Journal in San Antonio Tea Party Website___Illegal Immigration Enters the Health-Care Debate Roughly half of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. don’t have health insurance, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group.
How about the other half of wet backs where did they come from?
Did they not have to get wet crossing the Mississippi,Artic,Atlantic,Pacific,Indian,Southern or for that matter the Seven Seas? The only true American here is the American Indian. We all have the right to proper care,lower tax,life choices,freedom & respect. So please, stop putting yourself down when you start picking on the Pew Hispanic, Catholic or whatever! Lets be wise & all stand united instead of bickering as to whom is costing more monies. We are all here & some of us did not even have to cross the Mississippi or the Rio Grand to get to Texas.
No matter what party we are from_ regardless of Religion believes_ or color lets try to focus on a better life in the US, Less tax in Texas & the Senate negotiating for Texas as other Senators have done for their States for cooperation. Obviously other states have been better negotiators.
One should not have to leave Texas & move to Tennessee(medical coverage for those that can afford) or Connecticut’s’ for no employment income taxation. Texas should have lower property taxes, medical coverage for all needing it_ I don’t care how the government & private sector work it out its time that Texas should be concerned about every ones betterment for life, choices & education.
Respectfully,
RoseMary Menchaca
County Factsheet: Bexar County, Texas
Summary County Data (and Source)
Population (2006 CB est.): 1,555,592
Population (2000 Census): 1,392,931
Foreign-born Population (2000 Census): 151,340
Share Foreign Born (2000): 10.9%
Immigrant Settlement 1991-98 (INS): 19,594
Population Projection 2025 (FAIR): 2,084,000
——————————————————————————–
COUNTY POPULATION
The population of Bexar County was estimated by the Census Bureau at 1,555,592 residents as of July 2006. That was an increase of 2.5 percent from a year earlier and 11.7 percent above the 2000 Census.
source http://www.fairus.org/site/PageNavigator/facts/county_data_TX_bexar
For decades Europe has been a beneficiary of excellent nationwide health care. It wasn’t until the early 1960′s that the English/British single payer system started to erode. This was caused be the introduction of legal immigration imported to drive London Buses and work on the railways. Deterioration has increased since the inception of the European Parliament dictates of the free flow of immigrants from impoverished nations of Northern Europe that has overrun the health care system. PERHAPS RATIONING NOW–BUT NOT BEFORE MASS IMMIGRATION? As of now Europe has been overwhelmed by illegal aliens, making entitlements even worse. When I lived in England their was no co-pays, deductions or premiums, just insurance stamps that the employer and employee paid. I received 3 surgeries with no further cost to me. There was no anguish about debt collectors calling or ending up in front of a bankruptcy judge.
As a child and a young man I choose my doctor and received eye and dentistry visits free of charges. I NEVER HAD TO WAIT FOR A SURGERY, AS THE SPECIAL INTEREST LOBBY TRIES TO IMPLY? One should remember that there a large majority of nefarious special interest groups, who enjoy the status quo and will fight with propaganda and lies against their profiteering. Another place where I lived was Australia, where the health care system is equally as great as England. One year I was employed by Australian Main Roads as a junior surveyor and stepped into a fire ants nest, ending up in hospital. Once again my cost was–ZERO–because I paid into the system. There is something very calming, without the worry of billing statements pouring through the mailbox demanding money and threatening you with an attorney.
Observe this PETITION to STOP any health care to illegal immigrants at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/nohealthcareforillegals