# US hospitals send immigrant patients home



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...879798&usg=AFQjCNFH4XYDjpkJUmOf7QJHajBE7gWpxQ

Did anyone else see this? Once an indigent, immigrant patient is stabilized, when they would normally be shipped to a nursing home, they are put on a plane. I never knew this went on. Really can't blame the hospitals, they get no medicaid for illegal or new immigrants and its cheaper to buy a plane ticket then to keep providing care. But its really cold. Also, the patient and his family get no say. What does Canada do with sick illegals?


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

This was the front page feature of yesterday's New York Times.

The sick twist to this is that illegal immigrants actually pay their taxes at an alarmingly high rate and generally avoid consuming public services like hospitals and social security. My Labor Economics professor explained this by saying, "Who ever got in trouble for paying their taxes?"


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

Where is your professor from? Maybe it's that way up north, but spend some time in Texas. You may change your opinion. Also, you can't really use Canada as a standard because they have a government-run health system. Since our hospitals get no aid from the government, it is very different.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

i'm a resident, not a citizen. you know that i cannot vote. but guess what? i could be drafted for military svc if the gov't so chooses.

i believe the same applies if you're here on a work visa.


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

There is a different between Illegal immigrants, and citizens, like you gil. The person referred to in this article is illegal. He also went to a private hospital.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

i understand. i'm just stating the fact that in a lot of instances, if you're not a citizen, "fair" treatment by the gov't is a totally animal from what most people are accustomed to or expect.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

I'm from New York. The professor that I'm referring to is the foremost contrarian authority on the labor economics of illegal immigrants. The statement is a generality, not necessarily reflective of what you observe in Texas.

In many states, like Colorado, industries such as meat packing have become dependent on illegal immigrant workforces. These are big multinational companies. They withhold taxes from their workers pay per US law. There are far more 'legit' employers of illegals than you might suspect. Entire industries.


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

I know what you mean gil. I think the problem is that we don't have a definite line with illegal immigrants, citizens, and workers. We also don't enforce the laws we currently have in place, and try to create new laws to simply cover up the problems. 
I am also aware of industry's dependence on migrant workers com. In Texas, it's a huge issue. The problem is that there are so many problems with the immigration and migrant worker system, that no one knows where to place the blame. Some blame the workers, which I totally disagree with. Some blame the businesses, but it is honestly good business sense to use them. I am really not informed enough about the topic to argue too much, but I think everyone can agree that the situation is very confusing, and there is really no simple solution.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

even up there, there's a large migrant worker population to support agriculture. they pretty stay to themselves, but once in a while, you hear news of them tangling with the law.

many industries in this country cannot be sustained without these immigrant workers.

maybe i'm naive, but i think that if the country and the businesses treated them fairly, there'd be a lot fewer instances of "trouble."


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

ever consider what is done for American War veterans without health care?


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

that's also a real sore spot for me.

i can't believe how PEOPLE are treated as being disposable.


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

BV77 said:


> ever consider what is done for American War veterans without health care?


"Working" with the VA at my previous job (and I do use the term "working" loosely), I was disgusted to find out how poorly vet's medical needs were taken care of. The VA system is a joke, and it's terrible that they refuse to cover crucial services. 

I dealt with their offices at least a few times a week, and worked with their patients regularly. It is frustrating that the VA system gives so many promises, then breaks most of them. Our United States veterans are paying for this ****************ty system with their lives. Isn't fighting for our freedom worth anything?!

I could vent all day on this subject, but, for now, I'll let it go. 

The VA system needs some serious reform.

End rant.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

thank you for caring, Ginia


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

gil_ong said:


> i can't believe how PEOPLE are treated as being disposable.


When I first ended up inadvertently working in the medical field 5 years ago, I came to a lot of realizations. I developed friendships with many of my patients, and I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of how patient care is handled. I tried my hardest to make a difference where I could, which is all that we, as individuals, can do. My abilities were limited, however, by my position. I'm now back in school so that I can do more.

I know the injustice will still exist, but at least I'll have done what I can, for who I can.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The hospital is require to find any patient it discharges "appropriate care", but no other provider is required to accept a "non-critical" patient that can't pay. But the hospital can deport you against your wishes even if you are here legally. Weird. Non-citizens have no rights. Which is really a terrible situation for anybody to be in. Illegals are at the mercy of coyotes and other abusers. Businesses feel compelled to hire illegals if their competition does. Mexican illegals and other "economic refugees" import poverty because they get paid so little and send most of what they do make home, so the areas where they concentrate go downhill. I see this here in Atlanta. There is very little spending, so stores and restaurants don't prosper and property values plummet. If Americans had those jobs, workers would at least spend the wages here. If we really can't find Americans to do this work, we need a rational migrant worker policy that documents people, enforces safe working conditions and makes sure the government gets its cut. If the workers pay medicaid tax, they should get medicaid. Eventually, the wages earned here should improve conditions in the home country and improve those economies enough that there will be fewer desperate workers. 

Caring for a single injured person is such a huge expense here that hospitals, insurance companies, etc. have a real financial motivation to "discard" an unprofitable person. And its not just sick people. Companies increasingly won't hirer older Americans, smokers, and obese people because they fear there insurance premiums will go up. 

Any program that actually reduces serious injuries like drunk-driving prevention and safer workplaces will save the country a fortune in health care costs.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Americans won't do these jobs. Have you ever been to a meat packing plant? Most illegals don't make it more than a few weeks.


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## mrmoby (Jan 18, 2005)

COM said:


> Americans won't do these jobs. Have you ever been to a meat packing plant? Most illegals don't make it more than a few weeks.


That's an interesting point. They are jobs that are typically backbreaking and lowpaying enough that most people here won't do them. Interestingly enough, people jump and down and scream about building fences to keep out Mexicans, so they won't take the crappy jobs that we(Americans) wouldn't do anyway, when they should be taking the big corporations to task for shipping all the tech support and manufacturing jobs overseas.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

agricultural companies have also moved their (whole) operations to mexico.

keep making things difficult and pretty soon you'll be paying $2/lb for bananas.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Actually, we'll probably be paying far more than that soon, since the bananas are being wiped out by a nasty fungus throughout their range.

I have only one real problem with mexicans, and I think that most americans have the same problem, and that is their failure to learn english before coming. Honestly, I think that if we set up some special schools all over mexico to teach them english and told the coyotes that we'd look the other way if they would only bring over english-speakers, then everybody would be fine with it.
And before any idiot mentions it, yes, english is the unofficial official language here, so get over it. We shouldn't have to change to accommodate those who don't even belong here anyway; if they want to come, they THEY'RE the ones who should adjust.

My own little town has a nice little population of mexicans, and they do their thing and don't bother anyone and everyone gets along fine with them. You wanna know why? We have an unwritten rule here that every group of mexicans wandering about must have at least one english speaker in it. They follow the rule, and everybody wins. The cotton gins & peanut mills run around the clock, the stores do a lot of good business on payday, and we're all making new friends. Bear in mind that this is in Alabama, a state where english is the OFFICIAL language and the cops are not only empowered but required to round up any illegals they find for deportation. _I think ours is the only state like that so far?_ However, we all get along and nobody gets busted because our peculiar arrangement really works.
Try it your own towns. What the heck, it might work for you, too.


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