Fixing a Broken Health Care System
by Lois Stern
Without question our nation is facing some severe fiscal challenges. Our Washington lawmakers have their backs firmly pressed against the proverbial wall. Where do we look for the needed income to support our broken health care system?
We have a persistent problem of illegal immigration with the presence of nearly 12 million illegal immigrants in this country. Without a doubt, many of these illegals are contributing to our society, paying their way and funding their own health care. But all too often their medical care is funded by Emergency Medicaid through the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, signed by President Reagan in 1986. Additionally, this medical care, which is written off as bad debt or charity by local hospitals, has unfairly burdening our health care system. Make no mistake about it, each and every hard working USA citizen indirectly pays for those costs through extra hospital fees and insurance premiums.
Consider for a moment the New York Times article dated November 21, 2009: Hospital— Falters as Refuge for Illegal Immigrants. Fifteen illegal Mexican immigrants turned to taxpayer supported Grady Hospital, an Atlanta based facility, for their dialysis treatments at a cost of $50,000 per year per patient.
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Grady lost $3.5 million on their dialysis clinic last year, a situation that clearly was becoming financially hopeless. In an effort to resolve their issues without turning their backs on these illegals, Grady recently entered into a signed agreement with MexCare to pay $18,000 for every patient relocated ($6750 in travel expenses and escort fees, a $750 administrative fee, and payment for dialysis treatments).
Does this make sense to you when so many of our hard working citizens are struggling to pay their medical bills? I know it is difficult to find a just balance between humanitarian care and fiscal responsibility— especially once illegal immigrants are housed within our borders. But immigration reform is clearly needed as an issue of top priority in addressing our own broken health care system. Some of the other measures Congress is proposing to band-aid our health care wounds seem trivial, yes even ridiculous, by comparison!
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Lois W. Stern has written a number of nostalgia articles, including Grab a Pickle, Share a Memory, originally published in the New York Times. She has written feature articles for LI Beauty Guide, numerous articles on health and beauty posted at her website: www.sexliesandcosmeticsurgery.com/ and is the author of: SEX, LIES AND COSMETIC SURGERY and TICK TOCK, STOP the CLOCK ~ Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour. |
Lois Stern |
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Thanks for sharing this opinion, Lois... J. Wolf
