Michelle Malkin » Time to ration health care for illegal aliens

Time to ration health care for illegal aliens

By Michelle Malkin • August 17, 2009 09:40 AM

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Big Nanny Democrats want to ration health care for everyone in America – except those who break our immigration laws.

The latest cry for help comes from Nevada’s University Medical Center, via the Las Vegas Review Journal:

“Our people are really torn,” said Brian Brannman, UMC’s chief operating officer. “We want to take care of people who are ill. We’re proud that we can save lives. But our employees are also worried about the survival of UMC. They know that the appetite of taxpayers for helping undocumented immigrants is limited.”

Since April, UMC has been spending about $2 million per month providing emergency dialysis services to 80 illegal immigrants, Brannman said.

He projects that these services at UMC could run more than $24 million in the current fiscal year.

In each of the five prior years, the hospital provided the same emergency services to half as many illegal immigrants for a little more than $1 million per month.

Brannman said the hospital receives no reimbursement from federal, state or local sources to provide this life-saving treatment for people who have entered the country illegally.

But under federal law, any patient who shows up at an emergency department requesting an examination or treatment for a medical condition must be given an appropriate medical screening to determine whether there is an emergency. If there is, treatment must be provided.

“When we’re projecting a budget deficit of $70 million for fiscal year 2010, you can see that $24 million in dialysis treatment that’s not reimbursed is an awfully big chunk,” Brannman said.

UMC health care professionals say discussion of how to reform the nation’s health care system must include how to shore up taxpayer-supported hospitals, strained to the breaking point by following the law to care for those who are breaking it…

…”The federal government kicked the can down the road on the immigration issue and gave the bill to us,” Brannman said. “This is a federal policy failure that is driving huge health care costs to our citizens.”

The solution is not to give them health insurance, but to turn off the magnets that draw them to enter illegally in the first place.

The hospital has reached out to Mexican government officials to try and convince illegal aliens to return home. But “I can’t make them go back,” the Mexican consul in Las Vegas told the Review-Journal.

And the government officials in the United States who do have the power to deport them…won’t.

Posted in: Health care, Immigration

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#781993

On August 19th, 2009 at 12:03 am, DogBreath said:

On August 18th, 2009 at 2:08 pm, Weary Citizen said:

If the gop wants my vote, they will start abiding by conservative pronciples in general and denounce amnesty….Not mindlessly pull the handle for the “r”.

Great strategy. You really taught them nasty GOPers a lesson. Meanwhile, the entire country’s heading to hell in a handbasket. Just take your ball, go home and pout.

If you want pure conservative candidates you’ve got to grow them from seed. Idealism is great, priciples are great, but reality is where we all have to live.

I considered staying home, voting for a third party candidate or writing in my choice, but in the end I voted for the better of two terrible candidates. Even though, in WA State, I knew there was no chance in Hades of McCain getting the nod.

Thanks Bob.

DB
#782422

On August 19th, 2009 at 1:54 pm, Weary Citizen said:

My vote, by the way wasn’t “mindless”.

Actually, you are wrong. See, you pulled the lever for the “r” “mindlessly” because, well, he isn’t a “d”. I actually looked at all the options and decided there were better candidates than the “r” this time around. Which takes more effort?

If the only difference you can see between McCain and Obama up to this point is health care, maybe you should open your eyes and take a closer look.

Prove it. I will give him the nod on the military, but that’s it. Mcamensty’s past record shows he has no trouble “reaching across the asile” and telling conservatives to screw off on social and domestic issues. Just what has ahppened so far that mcamensty would have done better? I trust the SOB about as far as I can throw him.

Meanwhile, the entire country’s heading to hell in a handbasket

Ha. With mcamensty we get a train ride to h*ll. WIth obummer we get a plane ride. Either way, the republican party under current managment is taking us there as well. open your eyes.

but in the end I voted for the better of two terrible candidates

So, no matter what, you will ALWAYS vote for the “r” as long as he/she is 1 degree better than the “d”? If not, when do you say “I just can’t support his paltform any longer”? See, I reached that point. I figure it is better to address the issu now rather than later because both parties are moving further left each year. Again, how in the world does voting for a bad candidate, because he is not as bad as the other, in any way send a message to the gop that the recent past platform and actions were misguided and an affront to conservative pronciples? Answer. It doesn’t. It validates those misguided strategies.

Look, if either of you think you are stating anything not stated here before, you are sorely mistaken. This has been rehashed 500 times between others like myself and die hard, party first, republicans. I voted 3rd party and would do it again. And if the idiots trot out a mcamnesty type candidate in 2012, I will do it again. Vote for who you like, but I will no longer vote purely because they have an “r” next to their name. Put a decent candidate up that has not proven their disdain for conservatives opposed to amnesty/2nd amendment/balanced budgets and I will vote for them.