Illegal Alien- frustrated!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Please don't flame me. This is the only place I can comw to to vent and get some ideas on how to get myself back on track. I work with people who are immunosuppressed. I have a particular client who is receiving lots of money in health care and medication as well as assistance with rent and utilities. She is hispanic, provided a Socical Security number and a signed supporter statement from her husband. Now it turns out husband is undocumented and their income comes from him fixing cars off the books. They have not filed a tax return EVER. This family also receives almost $400.00 a month in food stamps plus a few hundred in WIC. My problem? It hacks me off that they are getting all these benefits and don't pay taxes. It makes me feel like a bad person but it is really hacking me off. Every time I turn around there is this client with their hand out. They have this letter written in Spanish that says "I so an so make such and such each month". This has been taken by not only our agency but others as well. We would not even think about taking such a document from a Caucasian or African American person. I certainly do not want someone to go without help but it aggravates me when I have to assist this person at the expense of the next one, who might be a citizen! I am sure other nurses deal with this. I am looking for a good way of thinking about this. Thanks!

Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.
Thank you. Thank you. I can't understand why someone would get all tied up in knots about the sick and the needy getting some assistance even if they did get here illegally, but have no problem with those who DO NOT NEED IT getting our tax dollars so they can continue their lives of luxury. I have never seen a topic on this board venting about our tax dollars going to help the rich. There's something twisted about that.

If we were talking about poor Americans, I think that most people would feel more inclined to want to give them benefits. However, these are illegal immigrants who have come to this country for the express purpose of taking advantage of the taxpayers. I think that people have more of a problem with the deception and the lying than they do with the whole money aspect. We live in a capitalistic society, and this means that there will always be wealthy people. Most of us have accepted this. Who do you think pays a large proportion of the tax revenue that the government collects each year? It is certainly not the poor or even the middle class!

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
So Americans are more deserving of a chance at life than other nationalities even if it is at the expense of others.

You betcha! What if I decided I was going to sneak into another country and live there by taking money from their system. That would be so wrong. That is what they are doing and they should be sent back to where they came from. That may seem cruel but staying here and stealing from all of us is wrong just plain wrong. It's bad enough that our own citizens learn to rip off the system but someone who is not a citizen is really in need of a good swift kick in the butt to wherever they came from.

I came to the US legally. My parents worked hard, we became American citizens, we obey the laws. It can be done the correct way.

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First I want to say YES it is wrong to lie and get medicaid or any other assistance. But why did you go into the medical field? I thought that when someone decides to work in the medical field it is to help people (people of any race,from any country any persons in general). I am going into the medical field because I love to help people and to take care of the sick and injured! I think it is wrong to say that someone didn't deserve to get medical treatment in anyway shape or form!!! Think about it we all are humans!! Honestly I think that everyone needs to take a step back and think about why they became a nurse or a doctor etc. Was it because you love taking care of people? Or was it for the money? Why? So does it really matter how they pay for it? Does it matter where they are from?

It isn't that nurses do not want to help people. It is that when you look at all the money that is taken from your check before you even get it and you think of all these people who are getting part of that money illegally you also think if they were not getting it maybe YOU would have more of the money you do make to support your own family and not have to work so hard to make ends meet.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
If we were talking about poor Americans, I think that most people would feel more inclined to want to give them benefits.

LOL, you must be new here. Trust me, it's the same game, different name. Before it was immigrant Hispanics, it was poor Blacks. And who did we scapegoat before Blacks? Well....immigrant Irish, Italians and Chinese were welcomed with less than open arms. So I don't buy the argument that it's only because they are illegal. That's just the excuse.

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I would rather my city, county, state or country spend my tax money on the true needy, even if they are "illegal" than continue for even another minute to allow our government be the puppets of these evil coporations who care NOTHING about the US population (ie: people like you and me).

OINK OINK

This is what hacks me.

Me too. It seems it's easy to vent anger on an individual who is a couple of steps poorer than yourself v. trying to fathom why oil companies are in need of corporate welfare.

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However, these are illegal immigrants who have come to this country for the express purpose of taking advantage of the taxpayers.

Not only that, but their birth rates are much higher than any other group, according to a recent TIME magazine article..

Recently, a Mexican flag was raised above a post office and another at a school.

Do you see what's happening here? Soon, because you can't be forced to show ID to vote, they will vote in their own into office and take control of the system from the inside.

So, it's not just healthcare that's in danger here.

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So, because she wasn't American, She wasn't diserving? Thats harsh .....

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You betcha! What if I decided I was going to sneak into another country and live there by taking money from their system. That would be so wrong. That is what they are doing and they should be sent back to where they came from. That may seem cruel but staying here and stealing from all of us is wrong just plain wrong. It's bad enough that our own citizens learn to rip off the system but someone who is not a citizen is really in need of a good swift kick in the butt to wherever they came from.

I came to the US legally. My parents worked hard, we became American citizens, we obey the laws. It can be done the correct way.

So if the patient has done something wrong he/she does not deserve health care?

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Well ask yourself, "why am I focusing so much mental and emotional energy worrying about these people who for all intents and purposes are in a worse position than myself? I have the freedom and the means to provide for myself and my family, I do not have to wait for a handout, I do not have to live in fear of being separated from my family if I am deported, and most importantly I have my health."

I, like any person, have struggled with resentment and jealousy at times but I can honestly say I have never resented the sick and the poor. It's not as though I would want to change places with them. You stated that you are assisting this person at the expense of others. Well it doesn't work like that, so the next thing you need to do is get that thought out of your head.

And finally if counting your blessings and having some compassion doesn't work, then try to channel your frustration towards others who deserve it. Take corporate welfare for instance. Big corporations receive billions in subsidies; is it fair that you should have to support Chevron, Halliburton, and WalMart? Or what about pork barrel projects? Alaska's $200 million "bridge to nowhere"? That makes me far angrier than my tax dollars helping sick, hungry people eat.

:yeahthat::yelclap::yelclap::yelclap::yelclap::w00t::heartbeat

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Silly me, I thought nurses were supposed to be compassionate. I'll have to watch for the questions on checking for a persons greencard before giving them treatment when I take the boards this spring. You have really opened my eyes!! I was foolishing hoping to work with people who cared about others, regardless of where they come from or the language that they speak. That is my possition, anyway, I'm looking forward to caring for people- only of my own race..... the human one.

Get a clue. We all care about our pts and treat all of them with respect. That doesn't mean we don't have our own opinions about what some of them are doing. This does not affect our care. We are, however, alllowed to vent about it on these boards. I'm getting really weary of students judging seasoned nurses.

:trout:

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True, subsidies to corporations is often unfair. But that's not what the OP was talking about.

She was referring to the thousands and probably tens of thousands of people who are in the country illegaly commiting healthcare fraud. And for that matter those who are here illegally.

It's got nothing to do with compassion. From what people in southwest states are saying, the burden has gotten so bad that many hospitals are closing down because of the abuse of the system.That creates even more problems for everyone to access healthcare.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Wound Care.

It's got nothing to do with compassion. From what people in southwest states are saying, the burden has gotten so bad that many hospitals are closing down because of the abuse of the system.That creates even more problems for everyone to access healthcare.

This is key. The "system" can only support abuse for so long. We are seeing the results of that today. While "compassion" is a great thing... it comes with a price tag. That price tag is going to destroy the system that so many want to participate in. Compassion doesn't pay the bills.

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