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Illegal immigrant health: $650,000,000 a year

by Will Lutz

Fri, Dec 12, 2008, 04:34 PM

The Health and Human Services Commission estimated this month that Texas spent $81.2 million in fiscal year 2007 on free health care for illegal aliens, mostly through the children’s Medicaid program.

Additionally, the HHSC report said, Texas county hospital districts spent an estimated $596.8 million in 2006 on mandated, uncompensated health care for illegal immigrants.

The commission had to prepare the report as a result of Rider 59 to its budget, placed there by former Rep. Dianne White Delisi (R-Temple).

The report’s results are certain to intensify the debate over illegal immigration. "I’d like to take that information and use it to bill the federal government," said Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), who has filed many bills to try and curtail illegal immigration, "and let them know that they have hit us with one of the largest unfunded mandates in the history of our country by requiring that we provide free health care and free education to illegal aliens."

"I think the study will help in the upcoming session to show member of the House and Senate the costs of supporting illegal aliens in Texas. We’ve got to do something about it, and the time is now … All we need is for elected officials to obey their oath of office, and we can get this done [curtailing illegal immigration]."

Because hospitals do not ascertain immigration status when someone requests emergency care, the agency used data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to guess the proportion of emergency Medicaid used by illegal immigrants. In addition to the $80 million in state payments, the study estimated that the federal government provided $120 million for emergency Medicaid expenditures for illegal immigrants. (The remaining $1.2 million in state expenditure comes from the family violence program.)

The commission used a variety of data sources, notably a computerized study on the uncompensated care population conducted in Travis, Hays, and Williamson counties, to estimate how much Texas hospitals provide in uncompensated emergency care to illegal immigrants.

A federal law called EMTALA – the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1986 – requires hospitals that receive federal Medicaid and Medicare funding to accept all emergency patients regardless of citizenship and ability to pay. It effectively has become one of the largest unfunded or underfunded mandates in American history, resulting in American hospitals rendering billions of dollars in services for which they are not compensated by the patient.

These mandates are unfunded, in that an illegal immigrant is generally not eligible for federal health care programs like Medicaid except in some emergency situations. There are some adjustments to the federal Medicaid formulas for states like Texas that have a disproportionate share of uncompensated care, but they do not fully reimburse Texas health care providers.

In effect, every user of a Texas public hospital pays – through hospital bills – for free health care given to illegal immigrants. This is a particularly serious problem, because illegal immigrants often work for cash or work for employers who do not offer health insurance (using the taxpayer-backed county hospital districts, in effect, as their health care plan).

The top five hospitals for delivery of uncompensated care for illegal immigrants are not particularly surprising. They are as follows: Ben Taub Hospital Houston ($204 million), Parkland Hospital Dallas ($135 million), John Peter Smith Hospital Fort Worth ($133 million), R.E. Thomason Hospital El Paso ($37 million), and University Hospital San Antonio ($25 million).

The Texas Conservative Coalition argued that the information presented in the study demonstrates the need for action. "The cost estimates underscore the imperative for the state to take reasoned effort by the state to abate illegal immigration," said policy analyst Brent Connett. "Taxpayers should never have to bear the cost of illegal immigration, especially in tough economic times."

The Lone Star Foundation, publisher of this newsletter, conducted a study of the costs of illegal immigration to Texas released June 2006. The study estimated the total cost at $3.5 billion net. Of that amount, $572.5 million was due to health care. But the study’s uncompensated care figure — $393 million – was based on 2002 data. The 2006 data released by the Health and Human Services Commission shows how rapidly the problem has grown.

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written by Steve Heath , December 14, 2008

Illegals get free care and these greedy hospitals and corporations stick it to the rest of us. Our health system is broke and is bankrupting America. General Motors would have actually turned a profit if they had been operating under the Canadian national health care system.

Americans live under the constant threat of bankruptcy from health care costs for suffering a catastrophic illness. The number One cause of bankruptcy is paying deductibles and co-pays for people who have health insurance. The cost is prohibitive for most Americans who do not have employer paid health care, and the costs to employers are ruining too many - especially in this disastrous economy.

The World health organization ranks us 37th in overall health care - dead last of the industrialized nations. All other competitors in the world economy have universal health coverage. We are ranked 37th, yet we pay 35% to 50% more than the other nations who receive better overall health care. I am so sick of the propaganda from people who think we have the best health care. Our health care is driven by special interests who are looting America for more than we can afford - our whole country is being looted by special interests, who get away with it because we have lousy, corrupt politicians in Congress, and a national media owned and controlled by the same crooks who run Wall Street and manage to elect friendly politicians for both parties who protect their interests.

Lawsuits, excessive administrative costs due to insurance, and government meddling in so-called private health care have ruined this system. It shouldn't cost $15,000 to $20,000 for a normal childbirth. We paid $25,000 for a C-section for my last child 7 years ago - $14,000 to an anesthesiologist, who we could never even remember seeing for more than about 10 minutes over a 4 day stay. No wonder our country can't compete and have to borrow trillions from foreigners to fight our stupid wars and pay our national bills. I am so sick of seeing erectile dysfunction, herpes and sexual stimulant drug commercials on prime time TV. if not sex-related, every commercial is for some anti-depressant or trying to put every kid on Ritalin. Most of this appears to be about sucking us all dry for profit. I think we can do without most of these drugs. We'll have to when the money runs out.

How many tens of millions are spent on such marketing campaigns each year that contribute to our national health care bill?

If we had national catastrophic health care insurance that covered catastrophic illnesses only, we could all drop private insurance and let fight it out with health care providers. Many or most Americans would choose this route, most of whom are going to lose employer coverage anyway -especially those who get laid off in this recession/depression arriving. I guarantee the cost of a normal childbirth in the market place would go down by 60-70% in no time. Competition and the free market would kick in, and then maybe our health care costs would get in line so we wouldn’t have to outsource what little manufacturing we have left to Asia.

If we cannot come up with a system better than the crap we have right now, I would just as soon have a canadian system. Ours is pathetic. If Republicans can't come up with a better plan that reduces the enormous costs, I'd just as soon have national health insurance. If its good enough for every other nation that is kicking our ass in manufacturing and producing viable products, its probably good enough for us.

Too much of what we exported was fraud - our financial services and system that was our main export was nothing but a scam. The whole world knows this now. Bernie Madoff is just one more example of the phony, fraudulent crap we have been exporting for the last decade or so. Billions lost to rich Americans, but probably $10 billion from foreigners that has now just evaporated. We have got to round up these wall Street criminals, take their money back that they have stolen, and put them in a safe place where they can never again harm anyone - then we need to get rid of their co-conspirators in Washington.

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written by Ken Dickson , December 14, 2008

Mr. Heath's assessment has some truths, however, his statement re Canadian health care being better is dead wrong!! The Canadian system is so flawed their degree of health care has deteriorated to such a degree that Cnadian doctors have been coming south for years.

Socialism in health care has been nothing but a failure worldwide, documented by the systems themselves! there is no free lunch!

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written by Steve Heath , December 15, 2008

There's no doubt that for those who have good private health insurance , they are better off than the care they would get in canada. But at what cost to American businesses, consumers and Americans? Good health care for those who can afford good health insurance may not be enough to outweigh the costs. Our party is over. It's time for some radical and fundamental change in many areas, if we want to avoid the greater depression, and lay the groundwork for future prosperity.

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written by Byron George , December 17, 2008

Send those illegals home. That will take care of the problem.

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