Cost of illegal immigration on one Florida hospital

aeauooo · Jun 6, 2008

What is not being considered here is that the amount of money spent on health care for illegal immigrants is a realtively small fraction of that spent on U.S. citizens.

"Foreign-born adults in Los Angeles County, California, constituted 45 percent of the county's population ages 18-64 but accounted for 33 percent of health spending in 2000. Similarly, the undocumented constituted 12 percent of the nonelderly adult population but accounted for only 6 percent of spending. Extrapolating to the nation, total spending by the undocumented is 6.4 billion dollars , of which only 17 percent (1.1 billion dollars) is paid for by public sources. The foreign-born (especially the undocumented) use disproportionately fewer medical services and contribute less to health care costs in relation to their population share[.]"

Goldman, D. P., Smith, J. P., Sood, N. (2006). Immigrants and the cost of medical care. Health Affairs, 25(6), 1700-1711.

Immigrants accounted for $39.5 billion (SE=$4 billion) in health care expenditures. After multivariate adjustment, per capita total health care expenditures of immigrants were 55% lower than those of US-born persons ($1139 vs $2546). Similarly, expenditures for uninsured and publicly insured immigrants were approximately half those of their US-born counterparts. Immigrant children had 74% lower per capita health care expenditures than US-born children. However, ED expenditures were more than 3 times higher for immigrant children than for US-born children. Conclusions: Health care expenditures are substantially lower for immigrants than for US-born persons. Our study refutes the assumption that immigrants represent a disproportionate financial burden on the US health care system.

Mohanty, S. A., Woolhandler, S., Himmelstein, D.U., Pati, S., Carrasquillo, O., Bor, D. H. (2005). Health expenditures of immigrants in the United States: a nationally representative analysis. Journal of Public Health, 95, 1431-1438.

Jolie, BSN · Jun 6, 2008

What is not being considered here is that the amount of money spent on health care for illegal immigrants is a realtively small fraction of that spent on U.S. citizens.
"Foreign-born adults in Los Angeles County, California, constituted 45 percent of the county's population ages 18-64 but accounted for 33 percent of health spending in 2000. Similarly, the undocumented constituted 12 percent of the nonelderly adult population but accounted for only 6 percent of spending. Extrapolating to the nation, total spending by the undocumented is 6.4 billion dollars , of which only 17 percent (1.1 billion dollars) is paid for by public sources. The foreign-born (especially the undocumented) use disproportionately fewer medical services and contribute less to health care costs in relation to their population share[.]"
Goldman, D. P., Smith, J. P., Sood, N. (2006). Immigrants and the cost of medical care. Health Affairs, 25(6), 1700-1711.
Immigrants accounted for $39.5 billion (SE=$4 billion) in health care expenditures. After multivariate adjustment, per capita total health care expenditures of immigrants were 55% lower than those of US-born persons ($1139 vs $2546). Similarly, expenditures for uninsured and publicly insured immigrants were approximately half those of their US-born counterparts. Immigrant children had 74% lower per capita health care expenditures than US-born children. However, ED expenditures were more than 3 times higher for immigrant children than for US-born children. Conclusions: Health care expenditures are substantially lower for immigrants than for US-born persons. Our study refutes the assumption that immigrants represent a disproportionate financial burden on the US health care system.
Mohanty, S. A., Woolhandler, S., Himmelstein, D.U., Pati, S., Carrasquillo, O., Bor, D. H. (2005). Health expenditures of immigrants in the United States: a nationally representative analysis. Journal of Public Health, 95, 1431-1438.

That illegal immigrants utilize healthcare at a lesser rate than U.S. citizens does not change the fact that the healthcare they do utilize still costs millions of dollars which must be paid by U.S. taxpayers.

BlueRidgeHomeRN · Jun 6, 2008

(aeauoo)

that's not the point...it's the cost to provide care for individuals who are in this country illegally and burdening an already stretched health care system.

at a major hospital in orlando, we spent over $990,000 on an illegal alien from africa with hiv, multi-drug resistant tb, and several other issues. she was an inpatient for 10 months, spoke no english, had no family, no skills, and no income. part of the cost of her care was the plane ride back to her country of origin with an accompanying nurse escort.

i still can't fathom how she made it into the u.s.!!!

Jolie, BSN · Jun 6, 2008

The cost of care for the patient in BlueRidgeHomeRN's post surely amounts to peanuts when compared to the overall yearly cost of healthcare in the U.S. But it is more than enough to sink a small hospital, ultimately resulting in diminished access and increased costs to an entire community.

aeauooo · Jun 6, 2008

that's not the point...it's the cost to provide care for individuals who are in this country illegally and burdening an already stretched health care system.

so, what do you want to do about it?

far more of my tax dollars go toward a multitude of programs to which i am morally opposed than those that go towards the care of illegal immigrants.

far more health care money goes towards taking care of u.s.citizens who have lived a sedentary lifestyle, smoked, ate too much, and developed heart and/or diesase, diabetes, renal failure, ad nauseum, than goes towards care of illegal immigrants.

my point is that the illegal immigration 'issue' is a diversion from much larger problems. 'solving' the illegal immigration issue - if that's at all possible -won't solve anything.

immigration is one of the perpetual 'problems' that get people stirred up, but about which nothing substantial is ever done or will ever be ever done. that way, corporate america maintains the status quo and keeps our attention away from the real problems from which it profits.

BlueRidgeHomeRN · Jun 6, 2008

so, what do you want to do about it?
deportation sounds about right..
far more health care money goes towards taking care of u.s.citizens who have lived a sedentary lifestyle, smoked, ate too much, and developed heart and/or diesase, diabetes, renal failure, ad nauseum, than goes towards care of illegal immigrants.
true--there are still more us citizens and legal aliens than illegal--thankfully!
my point is that the illegal immigration 'issue' is a diversion from much larger problems. 'solving' the illegal immigration issue - if that's at all possible -won't solve anything.
quote]
let's see, it would solve the health care, welfare, and incarceration costs of all these illegals?? then we can address the home-grown healthcare issues.

aeauooo · Jun 6, 2008

I am the daughter of two LEGAL immigrants one directly from Ireland (my Father) and the other directly from Cuba (my mother).

Incidentally, the scapegoating of immigrants in this country is nothing new, as a descendant of Irish (or Italian, Jewish, Polish, German, Asian, et cetera) immigrants must certainly be well aware.

This is just a new face on an old 'problem.'

BlueRidgeHomeRN · Jun 6, 2008

incidentally, the scapegoating of immigrants in this country is nothing new '

yes, except no one is scapegoating "immigrants".......

........the problem is illegal aliens.

i have no issue with the rainbow of immigrants here to live the american dream. legal immigrants have skills, family support, and are welcome additions to the workplace and economy.

and yes, aside from native americans we are all immigrants.

i have a framed sign in my lr, circa 1890 something;

"no irish need apply"

aeauooo · Jun 6, 2008

deportation sounds about right...

i wonder what the cost of mass deportation would be in comparison to the amount of money spent on health care - and other social services utilized by illegal immigrants.

i wonder how effective a program of mass deportation would be in the long run.

i wonder if those who exploit illegal immigrants for cheap labor really want illegal immigrants to leave the country (status quo).

i wonder how many of those businesses would pack up and head south of the border if they lost their supply of cheap labor in this country.

forest for the trees.

BlueRidgeHomeRN · Jun 6, 2008

i wonder how many of those businesses would pack up and head south of the border if they lost their supply of cheap labor in this country.
quote]
so, if a business that survives on illegal alien labor goes "south" (literally or figuratively) because their labor force has been deported, the problem is......
who is losing a job at this hypothetical point???
do you find all the laws in the nation so easy to disregard? i have to wonder what is so morally pure and compelling about entering this country illegally, when there is a mechanism for legal immigration?

aeauooo · Jun 6, 2008

yes, except no one is scapegoating "immigrants".......
........the problem is illegal aliens.

i don't think there was any less animosity towards legal immigrants then (or now) that there is towards illegal immigrants now.

their status as illegal immigrants is related to changes in immigration policy in this country. immigrants, legal or otherwise, come to this country today for exactly the same reason as most of our ancestors. they are just as human, just as hard working, and just as ambitious as our ancestors.

in other words, it's not their fault that they are "illegal."

BlueRidgeHomeRN · Jun 6, 2008

in other words, it's not their fault that they are "illegal."

whose fault is it, then???