American Greatness
Governor Greg Abbott has issued a stark warning that there “will be consequences” for defying his Executive Order requiring hospitals in Texas to ask patients if they are citizens of the United States.
The governor’s order, issued on August 8, requires hospitals that accept Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Plan coverage to ask patients to include the question, “Are you a U.S. citizen?” on patient intake forms.The purpose of the mandate is to collect billing information on illegal immigrants who use Texas public hospitals for inpatient and emergency care so the state can bill the federal government for those costs.
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Why should American taxpayers pay medical bills for anyone walking into the US? How many other countries will pay for my medical bills if I show up unannounced??
shitholers bez mo impotent than us taxpayers
The fundamental problem was created when hospitals became “public” with care regardless of ability to pay. While I admire their charitable spirit, passing along those cost to others (spending other people’s money) is not charity, it is thievery. Sure, they aren’t holding the gun, government is happy to hold the gun for them.
cuba, mexico, north korea, guatemala, venezuela would do the same for us citizens. right?
Blame The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) passed in 1986. It requires any hospital accepting Medicare must provide medical screening examination to anyone seeking treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. This is why people treat the ER like a visit to their GP, you and I, the taxpayer foot the bill. Thank you Reagan, he signed this monstrosity into law.
I never once asked a dying man where he was from, if he was good or bad, or how much money he has before trying to save his life. Basic humanity dictates that you do not withhold such care as within your ability, whether you are a Good Sam or a Chief Surgeon. This question is entirely inappropriate in the field or at the ER as it is not relevant to emergent patient care.
What happens when he’s stabilized is another matter.
Abbot is proposing this as a function of intake, AFTER the person has been pulled from Death’s shadow, and stipulates it does not affect care.
This seems appropriate, as the State will be the payor in such cases.
It is possible that this will reduce illegals seeking care until it becomes a crisis, true; but you could say the same for a person who’s committed any other crime, yet this doesn’t stop the hospital from reporting knife and gunshot wounds as required by law. Any hospital that fails to do so has itself committed a crime, yet no doctor is calling openly for misprision of felony in those cases; I fail to see how reporting those who break immigration
law is any different…
“law” is whatever a robe-****** pulls out of its ass