Colorado - Illegal Immigrants no longer eligble for state health care

Nurses Activism

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Effective Aug. 1, state services, including the state health plans and welfare, will no longer be given to illegal immigrants in Colorado. This law, enacted by Gov. Bill Owens, in considered the 'toughest in the nation' and other states are expected to follow suit.

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=5bd32d4f-0abe-421a-0198-a704d3f07a3a&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

I myself disagreed with the statement that illegals receive Social Security benefits, even SSI. However, I can tell you for a fact that in California, illegals do and can receive welfare benefits (they cannot ask if a person is documented), State disability benefits and workers' comp benefits. California is wacked in this regard. It seems here in Cali that illegals can get better and more benefits than legal residents and legal citizens. I can also tell you for a fact that our secty's mother is receiving SSI and she has never worked in the U.S. and is not disabled in any manner at all. She is perfectly healthy and never asked for it, but she receives it.

I know of physicians parents being on SSI. I believe they are here legally but haven't worked in this country and cannot speak English.

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To me, it is not OK to allow healthcare to people who are not citizens of the United States unless we also give this benefit to all the hard working Americans who are uninsured and underinsured. Too many fall in the gap where they make too much for state aid, but not enough to afford their health insurance. That's shameful. It's kind of like letting people who crash a wedding sit down and eat the expensive catered dinner for free, while telling the legitimate, invited guests with an invitation, that they need to pay for their dinner.

My question is this: do YOU get FREE healthcare, in your native tongue when you LEGALLY visit their (fill in the nationality of choice) country? Of course not. Then why are we bound to do the same for ILLEGAL invaders? I'm fine if they show up for treatment, but you have to pay your bill, not leave it to the American taxpayer (aka: sucker) to foot YOUR bill.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike

I am just asking people to remember that the parents may be here illegally but that if we cut off public food stamps or WIC to families with children that are born in the US that we are harming children who are our own citizens.

I think the real challenge will end up being how are we going to temper justice with mercy for those families with children? If these families have been leading otherwise law abiding lives paying taxes, being good neighbors, staying out of trouble can't we as a society find a way to help them find a legal status that doesn't harm their children?

Why do their children become citizens just because they are born here? This is not right, it puts a burden on our society. Their parents didn't put into the fund, why should they be eligible? These children should not be the US's responsibility, but the county in which their parents are citizens. We should not feel guilty because we can't take care of everyone's child. The ones who should feel guilty are the parents, shame on them for having children they can't afford. What I do think we should offer to them is free birth control, so it doesn't become an issue. That way if they choose to have child, it will have been their choice. In order for things to get better, the US will need to get tougher, as long as we are giving out freebies, there are going to be takers.

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.

Unknown Source

My mother had an MI when she and my Dad were vacationing in Europe.

She was taken many miles by ambulance to a major city hospital on a monitor, my Dad rode with her.

My Dad told me the nurses and doctors were wonderful to him as well as her. Sad as I was (and am) at the loss of my Mommy, I am proud of our tradition of kindness and education. And so very very thankful for those nurses who were with my parents when I was too far away.

They made an attempt to assign English speaking nurses and translators. Someone contacted the American Embassy.

After three days she died. A Priest was present with my Catholic Mom. A member of the hospital staff went with my Dad to the embassy to do the paperwork, get a death certificate, and fly her body to Oklahoma. He was impressed and surprised at their kindness.

There was never any question about ability to pay. The hospital and Embassy had my Dads address and phone numbers. He offerred to pay.

There was never a bill.

Specializes in Long Term Care.

Hmm... This is a rare case. Usually Mexican hospitals demand payment in advance especially from those they deem likely to be able to afford health care. That was my experience.

However, Americans are not crossing into Mexico by the THOUSANDS everyday. Nor are Americans ringing up LARGE amounts of public assistance and Medicaid benes from the Mexican gov't.

Generally what happens is the ILLEGAL immigrant needs ER services that are costly. So the hospital writes it off as bad debt when the immigrant disappears and doesn't pay.

So who eventually pays for their healthcare? And, How expensive is that in comparison to the paltry sum that few vacationers might?

I edited my post to avoid confusion. They were in Europe when my Mom got ambulance and hospital care.

She had thought it was indigestion and bought a "Bromo".

An ambulance came, did an EKG, and with sirens and lights rushed her to a cardiac hospital.

She was cared for for three days with IVs and a monitor. I was trying to get there when she died.

They never charged anything. There was no questioning regarding whether they could pay.

I edited my post to avoid confusion. They were in Europe when my Mom got ambulance and hospital care.

She had thought it was indigestion and bought a "Bromo".

An ambulance came, did an EKG, and with sirens and lights rushed her to a cardiac hospital.

She was cared for for three days with IVs and a monitor. I was trying to get there when she died.

They never charged anything. There was no questioning regarding whether they could pay.

Sorry about your Mother, SpaceNurse. I don't know how much I would trust European healthcare since the botched job they did on Princess Di back in '97

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Sorry about your Mother, SpaceNurse. I don't know how much I would trust European healthcare since the botched job they did on Princess Di back in '97

Given that current stats rate many European health (based on life span, child health, births, etc) much higher than that in the USA, we haven't got a lot of room to talk. Barring some of the war torn/former communist bloc countries, many have long enjoyed less expensive (based on per capita spending) and better health care.

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