In the video, the speaker states that helping an illegal immigrant, with no insurance, in a time of need, is something that the hospitals can handle. It is part of the Hippocratic Oath that doctor’s take to help those in need. Setting a broken ankle, delivering a baby, or treating a sinus infection are all typical in the life of an emergency room physician.
The burden arrives after the visit to the emergency department. What if the ankle that needs to be set will require several surgeries? What if the newborn has serious complications? What if the person with the sinus infection is discovered to have other, serious infections as well? In these instances, the people are admitted to the hospital, insurance or not, regardless of their ability to pay. This is where the extreme burden begins (Giacabbe, 2009).
A hospital cannot collect money from Medicaid for these services because illegal immigrants are not entitled to the coverage. Once these patients are stable, they cannot be discharged to a lower level of care if they cannot go directly home because nursing homes and other agencies are not required to take these patients. Hospitals look to family, friends, churches, and other organizations for assistance, but usually with no help. There are some instances where the patient returns to his or her native country to receive these services, if they exist.
If these people are illegal, why are the authorities not called to respond? They will only if there is a violent problem occurring at the hospital. The immigrants know this, so the hospitals have become a safe haven for them at this time. With many hospitals facing layoffs and the rising costs of their own insurance on their own employees, how long can this crisis last (Green Coopersmith, 2012)?
Works Cited
Giacabbe, R. (2009). Outrageous!. Illegal Immigrants and How They Drive Up Our Healthcare
Costs. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KjPBtfpn8wI
Green Coopersmith, E. (2012). Discharge dilemma. Inside Healthcare. Retrieved from:
http://www.inside-healthcare.com/index.php/sections/financelegal/1563-discharge-
dilemma
