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Title: Study: Illegal immigrants' care costs state $677 million
Source:
The Houston Chronic
URL Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6160505.html
Published: Dec 12, 2008
Author: Jane Elliot
Post Date: 2008-12-12 18:30:19 by X-15
Keywords: None
Views: 126
Comments: 12
AUSTIN — The state of Texas and local hospital districts spent an estimated $677 million to provide health care to illegal immigrants in a year, a new study says. The survey, issued by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said that most of the money — $597 million — was spent by local hospital districts for the immigrants' care during the state's fiscal year that ended on Aug. 31, 2006. Lawmakers from both parties said they were not surprised by the millions spent and expressed hope that the report, required by the 2007 Legislature, will help prompt Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said the study only tells half of the story. He noted that the immigrants contribute to government coffers by paying sales and property taxes. The report said that in the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2007, the state spent $80 million under the Texas Emergency Medicaid program, which pays hospitals to provide life-saving care, including labor and delivery services, to patients living here illegally. The state also paid $1.2 million to provide services to undocumented immigrants in family violence shelters. Federal law requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency treatment regardless of their citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. Harris County's cost The Harris County Hospital District provided $203.5 million in uncompensated care to illegal immigrants in 2006, the report said. But county hospital district officials disputed the report's numbers, noting that they were calculated on the basis of charges instead of costs. They said charges are inflated, typically double the actual costs of services to taxpayers. "The cost of health care to undocumented immigrants is something we worry about, something we monitor, but we don't want to overstate it," said David Lopez, president and CEO of the Harris County Hospital District. "It's not an overwhelming percentage of our budget." Lopez said the actual cost is 10 to 14 percent of the hospital district's budget, or about $100 million to $120 million. About 80 percent of the district's illegal immigrant patients were women and children, and most were pregnant women. Lopez said the hospital district was not consulted for the report. In another sense, the report underestimated the cost of care to illegal immigrants because it did not include figures for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which functioned like a hospital district by providing safety-net services. It spent $140 million annually on undocumented immigrant care, an official said Thursday. Gov. Rick Perry is reviewing the report, but had no comment Thursday, a spokeswoman said. Likewise, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who is considering challenging Perry in 2010, declined comment until she studied the information. Hoping to send a message State Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, said the report puts a number on health care costs that the state cannot do anything about. "Show it to our congressman, I guess. Tell him, 'Merry Christmas,' " Chisum said. "This is something we can look at the federal government and say, 'You guys ought to do a better job of guarding your borders or at least pay for 'em if you're going to allow them to come over here.' " One of the most prominent critics of illegal immigration, Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said he is glad that Congress is getting the report. "I'd like to bill the United States government," he said, "and have them pay Texas for the cost of the benefits that they require us to provide to illegal aliens." But a report issued two years ago by then-Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said undocumented immigrants helped to support the state's economy. She said illegal immigrants in 2005 paid $1.58 billion in taxes while the state spent a total of $1.5 billion. Strayhorn said local governments spent $1.3 billion on indigent health care. Rep. Coleman said he agreed with critics of illegal immigration that the report should be sent to Congress. "Anything that can move the federal government to have a comprehensive immigration policy that works for this country is extremely important," he said.
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#1. To: X-15 (#0)
Tis but a drop in the NWO 'budget'. Keep filin' and smilin' !!
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
Since illegals are basically a cheap and subsidized labor force for employers who don't wish to pay a living wage to their workers, I suggest the best and most logical course of action would be to aggressively prosecute those who hire illegals, and fine those employers heavily, then use the money raised from those fines to pay for the services used by illegals. The best way to end the problem of illegals here in the US is to cut off their income, and the best way to do that is to go after those who employ them. Eventually those employers will get the message and quit hiring them, and then the illegals will self-deport.
#2. To: X-15 (#0)
"I'd like to bill the United States government," he said, "and have them pay Texas for the cost of the benefits that they require us to provide to illegal aliens."
 | Gold and silver are REAL money, paper is but a promise. |
#3. To: X-15, Burkman, Richard90201 (#0)
Whoa there X-15. Back up a second. I've been told that we can't deport illegals because we have no idea how to find them. Now you're telling me we know how much they cost the tax payers in freebies? Well duh, if we know how much they are costing us, isn't it reasonable to assume we can nab their asses at point of service???
The state of Texas and local hospital districts spent an estimated $677 million to provide health care to illegal immigrants in a year, a new study says.
#4. To: Elliott Jackalope (#2)
Simple deportation would be the most expedient and efficient remedy imo.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#5. To: Jethro Tull (#3)
Gratuitous Graphical Intrusion (GiGI)
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#6. To: Jethro Tull (#3)
Si, se puede!
-Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
#7. To: X-15 (#0)
The cure for illegal immigration.
Republicans believe in abortion -- they just wait until they're born and then call them 'collateral damage'.
#8. To: All (#0)
I've been going to Parkland Hospital in Dallas every day since last Saturday, you would not believe the tidal wave of mexicons who use and abuse that hospital. It's literally thousands EVERY DAY. You cannot take two steps inside that facility without bumping into a mexicon babbling in their half-assed- spanish lingo. In addition, Children's Medical Center of Dallas is physically connected to Parkland, so it's a two-fer if the whole Gomez family comes down with TB and taco-poisoning. It's also where the resident doctors go for boot-camp: they see it all and treat every conceivable injury. If a mexicon finds a new way to fuck himself up, the docs get to find a new way to repair them.
-Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
#9. To: X-15 (#8)
Congrats !!
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#10. To: Rotara (#4)
Give the owner of any company, its CEO, or anyone caught hiring illegals 5 years in jail and soon they'll all go home on their own. (We can just shoot the drug dealers and other assorted criminal riff-raff that remain).
Simple deportation would be the most expedient and efficient remedy imo.
They call it the AMERIKAN DREAM because you have to be asleep (and you are) to believe it !
#11. To: X-15 (#0)
related story 56,000 signatures"go missing" from LA "Sanctuary City" petition
Americans used to roar like lions for liberty. Now they bleat like sheep for security
#12. To: X-15 (#0)
b. But a report issued two years ago by then-Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said undocumented immigrants helped to support the state's economy. She said illegal immigrants in 2005 paid $1.58 billion in taxes while the state spent a total of $1.5 billion. a. more anchor babies on the way! hurray, hurray! b. yuck, yuck - that's a good one - very funny...
a. About 80 percent of the district's illegal immigrant patients were women and children, and most were pregnant women.
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