Do illegal immigrants pay for emergency room care?
May 12th, 2009 | by Rick |
madcat asked:
I recently carried my son to the local emergency room to have his leg stitched up. I just received a bill for over $1200 from the hospital. But during our visit, the emergency room appeared to be packed with illegal aliens. I would estimate that around eighty percent waiting were illegals. Is there some kind of special program that enables them to get emergency room care at a reduced cost? (I really didn’t see any that I would call emergencies) Are they jjust getting free checkups or something? Why so many in the waiting room without real emergencies, and do they pay anything?
TRAVIS
I recently carried my son to the local emergency room to have his leg stitched up. I just received a bill for over $1200 from the hospital. But during our visit, the emergency room appeared to be packed with illegal aliens. I would estimate that around eighty percent waiting were illegals. Is there some kind of special program that enables them to get emergency room care at a reduced cost? (I really didn’t see any that I would call emergencies) Are they jjust getting free checkups or something? Why so many in the waiting room without real emergencies, and do they pay anything?
TRAVIS
21 Responses to “Do illegal immigrants pay for emergency room care?”
By BRAD on May 15, 2009 | Reply
OSCAR
No they do not. Of course poor Americans dont either. Both may be charged but there is n othing the hospitals can do to make them pay. Also all hospitals must right off a portion of their procedures each year so if you cannot afford to pay, contact the billing department and ask them about getting your bill written off.
By PABLO on May 17, 2009 | Reply
LON
If you live in a highly hispanic area, there is a good chance that many were not even illegals. You can’t really know without seeing if they have a greencard.
Anyway, by law hospitals are not allowed to refuse emergency care to anybody who needs it, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. This means that they can get treatment (probably not priority though) and will still get billed. They will still have to deal with the consequences of not paying the bill. It’s just that the hospital can’t refuse them treatment.
By REUBEN on May 20, 2009 | Reply
LES
Of course they aren’t paying ! A hospital can not deny treatment to anyone because of EMTALA. A public hospital can’t question your ability to pay if you seek care at their hospital. They may send a bill to these people, but they won’t pay it and the hospital will write it off and be reimbursed by the government. Nice to see how our tax dollars are being spent huh?
By ROCKY on May 22, 2009 | Reply
ALVIN
probably on medicaid or some other state sponsered program…and yes….if that is the case it is “free” to them…
however….
it is not “free” to taxpayers…we pay a bundle….
where someone who actually has to pay for medical care would make a doctor’s appointment to be seen…it is so much more handy to run to the ER when someone else is footing the bill, no? and that just irritates the fire right out of me!
By JONATHON on May 22, 2009 | Reply
LAURENCE
This is exactly why your health care is so expensive.
The more illegals coming in means most legal citizens of this country,will be without health care soon. The cost will be to much!
By CALVIN on May 23, 2009 | Reply
ELI
It equates to FREE health care for these illegal aliens….courtesy of U.S. American citizens. For people that are not even supposed to be in this country…what a DEAL huh???? “sarcasm”
By LEVI on May 23, 2009 | Reply
DIRK
No they don’t.
By JACQUES on May 25, 2009 | Reply
MURRAY
Some do some dont, just like many Americans with and without insurance dont bother to pay their medical bills.
The issue with illegals is that it is even more difficult to get the money from them than others; but they are far from being the only group to abuse the system, and you cant automatically assume that all are abusing it, the percentage is probably not much different than legal citizens in similiar economic situations.
By ASHLEY on May 28, 2009 | Reply
KURT
NO. If they come with their hand chopped off, they send them to a local veterinarian.
By NELSON on May 31, 2009 | Reply
TIMOTHY
Many uninsured people (including legal immigrants, illegal immigrants and citizens) go to the emergency room because they cannot be turned away from seeing a doctor there. They get billed, but the hospitals won’t sue them if they don’t pay because it would cost legal fees and wouldn’t result in any payment, because uninsured people usually don’t have any money. It will destroy people’s credit ratings not to pay these bills, but they usually don’t care so much. The hospitals write off these losses, which is why they inflate the prices in the ER, and then settle with the insurance companies for a fraction of the stated price on any cases where the person is insured. The doctors can do the minimum possible to treat people under these circumstances, so people won’t get checkups or anything at the ER. All the more reason to allow more legal immigrants, but to require them to have health insurance.
By SHERMAN on May 31, 2009 | Reply
DUANE
No and neither do the Legal Poor US Citizens.
The ER Care should be the ONLY free benefit next to air for Illegal Aliens. Then they will Deport themselves back to their barrios in their homeland.
By DELBERT on Jun 1, 2009 | Reply
FRED
I hear hospitals in California are closing because of this.
By KARL on Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
MATTHEW
Yes they do my friend works in the Er and most all that enter have different name each time no IDS don’t or won’t speak English>Every thing from a runny noise to 9 month pregnancy>heart attracts> gun shot wounds>They come in by ambulance and want a voucher to have a taxi ride back>There so arrogant that they don’t say thanks & walk out with out paying a dime>The hospitals in this area are laying off nurses>And are talking about closing>As the Gov pays
very little>East coast central Florida>
And the Sheriff that has to be on duty won’t ask for IDS & wont call ICE>
By ELIAS on Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
KEN
Some don’t. How ever, any of them that go with me or I interpret for do. Well, at least they give correct information on where they work and live, TIN numbers, etc. I make sure that the staff here can get a copy of TIN paper, or license, ID, worker ID, check stub, whatever they have with them. When they have someone there that speaks their language telling them that they need to provide A, B, C, and, D, they usually do. As such, the hospital knows how to bill them, where they live & work…..
By ARTURO on Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
CARY
No.
By LANE on Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
ALLEN
its funny how you say that the emergency room was packed with illegals. what? are they wearing shirts with illegal written on them? how could u tell? well contrary to popular belief most actually do. think about it, if you were an illegal and got sick, you would have to receive medical attention. do u actually think that illegals will just put it off? illegals know that if they get hurt or sick again they will have to go to the hospital again and the chances of receiving mediacal attention will be none. (they don’t know about the law.) i used to work at a hospital at UAB and most illegals do actually pay their bills.
By OWEN on Jun 8, 2009 | Reply
CARROLL
Of course they pay for ER care!! Just like pigs can fly, the moon is made out of Bleu cheese and hell is freezing over.
By RON on Jun 10, 2009 | Reply
KEN
They pay for nothig when it comes to medical like that. They have no Insurance so they can’t go to a normal doctor so the show up at the ER with a runny nose or a fever. that is why YOUR bill was $1200. You have to pay for the ILLEGALS as well.
ERs all over the country aare shutting down because of this. Making it harder for CITIZENS to get REAL emergency treatment at an affordable price. Since nothing can be done to ofrce the ILLEGALS to pay their ER bills the cost is sent to you and I.
By ELDON on Jun 12, 2009 | Reply
CODY
The problem is not only illegal immigrants and poor people. It extends also to unwed females, rich or poor. I have secretly reported quite a few middle class un married women, and after they went to the “Medical Castle” (hospital) for help, I struck up a conversation with them about how they paid. In each case, they didn’t.
And the hospital never investigated them. The reason for this is that the hospitals are granted a certain amount of money to cover “hardship” cases and unless they spend more than they are getting, the funds will be reduced.
I had to take my then wife to the emergency room because she had an accident with a Moped she borrowed. She needed 3 stitches in her face. They charged $700.00 for each stitch. That was 15 years ago! But, I had insurance with my employer, so it did not cost me anything. Those days are fading fast.
But, madcat, you are being a little unfair, assuming the people that looked Mexican were illegals. But, at the same rate, I think it is the hospitals responsibility to report to the authority’s anyone that cannot prove legal citizenry.
Score one for a new National I D. card
By NOAH on Jun 15, 2009 | Reply
EDDIE
No they don’t,everything is handed to them.
By DAMON on Jun 17, 2009 | Reply
CURTIS
No they do not.