Immigration and Health Care Reform

The price of exclusion to us all

Updated 5:24 PM PST, Fri, Oct 30, 2009

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While our nation faces the dauting question of, "how" do we reform health care, we as Californians need to ask, "who" is going to shoulder the financial burden?

Since the recession started, over 500,000 Californians have lost their health care coverage, and by 2010, that number is expectedto reach 600,000. Our health care premiums are growing three times faster than our wages. Health care reform is no longer an option, it's a necessity.

In this editorial, we focus on the Baucus bill currently moving forward in the U.S. Senate. And why NBC Bay Area believes this plan to exclude undocumented immigrants, and immigrants here less than five years, will only lay a bigger burden at the taxpayers feet, especially here in California.

Your Feedback

Senator Baucus' Health Care Bill

Roll Call: "Baucus Should Be More Inclusive With Health Care Plan"
by: Rep. Mike Honda

The Hill: "Senate Finance passes healthcare bill; Snowe the lone GOP supporter"
by Jeffrey Young

Tampa Tribune: "Real health Care Reform Requires Public Option"
August 26, 2009

American Journal of Public Health: “Insured immigrants had much lower medical expenses than insured US-born citizens, even after the effects of insurance coverage were controlled. This suggests that immigrants' insurance premiums may be cross-subsidizing care for the US-born. If so, health care resources could be redirected back to immigrantsto improve their care.”

Migration Policy Institute: “Recent studies have found that immigrants spend 14 to 20 percent less on health care than natives even when controlling for their insurance coverage, and that noncitizens spend less than half as much as citizens on health care overall.” MPI report page. 22 (attached).

Article on costs for Sutter hospital in Solano County, CA:

“Sutter hospital's emergency-room staff now refer about 60 patients a month to La Clínica. With a basic examination at Sutter hospital costing about $500 -- and often going unpaid by poor patients -- that is the equivalent of $30,000 in routine emergency-visit charges that would otherwise be written off as charity.La Clínica charges $85.50 per consultation; low-income patients are charged less.”

In Massachusetts:
“By dropping 30,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care, Massachusetts will only shift the cost back to the “safety net” that is currently in place to deal with the small percentage of residents who remain uninsured.

Want to contact your legislator? Here's where you can take action.

First Published: Oct 16, 2009 3:35 PM PST

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0 Comments

{"totSize":5,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_64615692","adminTags":null,"views":184,"createdBy":13739904,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Immigration and Health Care Reform","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2473707,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"20 Oct 2009 16:24:18 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"jwb1","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1099393","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":" You mention that "some" have anti-immigrant sentiment, I strongly disagree. Most co-workers, friends and family members of mine ALL have anti-immigrant sentiment, but it is for the illegal immigrants not all immigrants. I am furious that your statement suggests that citizens who are tired of paying for these felons that cross our borders illegally are anti-immigrant. We're American citizens that don't appreciate the vast number of illegals that our government has chosen to allow to stay in our country illegally. Being an RN, I see the financial burden citizens take on every day in health care for these people who frankly do not belong in our country. Letting them buy health care only encourages them to stay in this country illegally. Furthermore, you're kidding yourself if you think they will actually buy insurance if offered to them. They are used to getting a free hand out from the US. Nothing will change by offering it to them, American citizens will still end up paying their health care costs. The only answer is to uphold our immigration laws and get illegals out of our country. Take a poll of US citizens and find out what we REALLY think about illegal immigration and I'll finally be impressed on your reporting. You're clearly out of touch with your community, proven by the statements made in this editorial. J Brown "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_64615692","adminTags":null,"views":184,"createdBy":13762697,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Immigration and Health Care Reform","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2473707,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"21 Oct 2009 16:18:24 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Abdulkader","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1106131","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"We will end up paying billions in health care for undocumented population no matter how the medical care is provided, through emergency room or through legislation. The way to settle the issue is to curb our need for cheap labor and hence cheap produce. The government looks the other way when it comes to controlling the influx of undocumented immigrants, paying lip service. Sincerely, Abdulkader Khatri San Jose, CA "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_64615692","adminTags":null,"views":184,"createdBy":13773753,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Immigration and Health Care Reform","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2473707,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"21 Oct 2009 19:07:56 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"artemisdiana","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1107561","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"We - Republicans and Democrats alike - need to round up and deport our illegal alien population once and for all, and stop pandering to the fanatic hispanic factions (la raza and the like), just for their votes. We have hundreds of thousands of legitimate born-in-the-US citizens who are homeless for lack of entry-level jobs stolen from them by illegals, and which would KEEP their earnings here in the US to help our sagging economy and add to our tax base, instead of watching most of it being sent out of the country and into foreign hands and foreign tax coffers! We need to start TODAY to require proof-of-citizenship or proof-of-legitimacy (current visa) at ALL emergency rooms, hospitals, and clinics, BEFORE any treatment is allowed. Any "suspect" persons who cannot provide proof should be held for pickup by the INS, and - well or ill - deported immediately. Any employee of any government, federal, state, county, or municipality (teachers, doctors, nurses, health aides, police, firefighters, etc), who refuses to identify and report illegals - in public schools, clinics, libraries, hospitals, and the like - should be immediately terminated and barred for life from holding any job which is funded by taxpayer dollars. It's high time our elected officials stop sucking up for votes, and protect the taxpayers who elected them and who pay their salaries, or come election time, they can kiss their jobs goodbye!"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_64615692","adminTags":null,"views":184,"createdBy":13902935,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Immigration and Health Care Reform","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2473707,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"27 Oct 2009 06:57:30 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"javinava408","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1135586","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"This as always is a touchy subject for most. Most people, as i have already seen on one post here just say deport them. This always hurts me to hear because the majority of illegals come here to work extremely hard for this country. Work that people living on the streets wouldnt even take. The reason I know they wont take the jobs is for the fact that in the past the United States allowed Mexicans to come and work the fields for them, because no one in the United States could obviously do it right. The program which I am talking about is the Bracero program which my grandfather was apart of. So if so called "illegal aliens" (which is almost racist sounding dont u think) are stealing jobs from some group of people then how come the United States asked for Mexicans to come work on the lands here in this country. I dont understand why so many people say that "they" (because we cant give them a name) only hurt our economy. So its obvious that when immigrants are here they spend $0 right ? There food and water come from thin air. Wait the food that they are providing for this country, yea thats right. Just making sure thats well established. Whats wrong with people trying to better there lives for themselves and their families. Oh I get it its because they have to do it illegally, well no duh ! If they have to wait until they even get a chance to apply for citizenship which could take years them and their families will be dead. So before you go trying to deport everybody that does't look American (whatever that means) try and have some compassion. By the way if the United States never stole California from Mexico we wouldnt be having this conversation (at least from this group of immigrants which im sure is the majority) the gold found here would have left Mexico plenty rich and Americans would be crossing into their borders. But it was Manifest Destiny right, so that has to make it alright. Francisco Navarro San Jose,Ca"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"391809_64615692","adminTags":null,"views":184,"createdBy":13921709,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"Immigration and Health Care Reform","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2473707,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Oct 2009 02:13:52 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"jcrisa","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1142093","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I don't know where the anti illegal immigrant is except for against those who disregard our laws. The disregard starts when they enter the US illegally and then it goes from there. We have more illegals in jail for fellony evictions and we have more illegals in gangs who are raising havoc in the poorer neighborhoods. This is where the anti sentiment comes from, not from those who made it here and are working for a better life. Unfortunately, this is the minority."}],"error":"","totPages":1}