NEW YORK TIMES NEWS
U.S. to pay for illegals' emergency care
Tue May 10, 2005 15:59
64.140.158.101
U.S. to pay for illegals' emergency care
Local hospitals praise move but call amount far too small
By Robert Pear
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
May 10, 2005
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050510/news_1n10immig.html
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration announced yesterday that it would start paying hospitals and doctors for providing emergency care to illegal immigrants.
The money, totaling $1 billion, will be available for services provided from today through September 2008. Congress provided the money as part of the 2003 law that expanded Medicare to cover prescription drugs, but the new payments have nothing to do with the Medicare program.
Members of Congress from border states had sought the money.
They said the treatment of illegal immigrants imposed a huge financial burden on many hospitals, which are required to provide emergency care to patients who need it, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay.
While health providers in San Diego County applauded the federal government's move, they said the dollar amount is minuscule.
"We've known all along that the amount of money provided under this bill wasn't going to cover it," said Steve Escoboza, spokesman for the Healthcare Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, which represents hospitals. "But at least the federal government has recognized this burden, and it's a significant movement in the right direction."
Ann Pumpian, chief financial officer for Sharp Healthcare, agreed. "It's a spit in the bucket," she said. "Though it's wonderful, it isn't coming close to covering the costs of services we provide."
Undocumented immigrants receive care costing about $100 million in this county alone every year, Escoboza estimated.
That means that even if the entire nearly $71 million allocated for California were reimbursed only to San Diego County health providers taking care of undocumented patients, the amount would fall $29 million short of covering the basic cost of that care.
Realistically, said Michael Bardin, Scripps Health's senior director of public affairs, San Diego County ambulances, hospitals and doctors treating undocumented patients might expect to receive 15 percent of that $71 million, or about $10 million or $11 million a year.
Of that, Scripps Mercy Hospitals in Chula Vista and Hillcrest, which take care of about 20 percent of the region's undocumented patients, would receive roughly $2 million.
Under the new program, hospitals are supposed to ask patients for certain documents to substantiate claims for payment. But Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said a hospital should not directly ask a patient "if he or she is an undocumented alien."
Instead, he said, hospitals can try to establish a patient's status by analyzing the answers to "indirect questions": Is the person eligible for Medicaid? (If so, payment is generally not available under the new program.) Has the person reported a foreign place of birth? Does the person have a border crossing card like those issued to Mexican citizens? Does the person have a foreign passport, a foreign driver license or a foreign identification card?
The Bush administration abandoned a proposal that would have required many hospitals to ask patients if they were U.S. citizens or legal immigrants.
"In no circumstances are hospitals required to ask people about their citizenship status," McClellan said yesterday.
Hospital executives and immigrant rights groups had said such questions would deter illegal immigrants from seeking hospital care and could lead to serious public health problems by increasing the spread of communicable diseases.
Cecilia Muñoz, a vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil rights group, said the new requirements were an improvement over the original proposal but would still discourage some immigrants from seeking treatment.
"Hospitals will have to ask confusing, highly technical questions about immigration documents," Muñoz said. "That will create a perception in the Latino community that you have to show your papers in order to get emergency care. That's a misperception, but it may be enough to deter some people from seeking care."
The new program is run by the Department of Health and Human Services.
McClellan said the department would not provide information about illegal immigrants to law enforcement officials for use in "routine civil immigration proceedings." But in rare cases, he said, the information may be used in criminal investigations.
The largest allocations this fiscal year are going to California, which will receive $70.8 million; Texas, $46 million; Arizona, $45 million; New York, $12.3 million; Illinois, $10.3 million; Florida, $8.7 million; and New Mexico, $5.1 million.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she was pleased that the money was being made available, even as she called for new efforts to "secure our borders."
Before tapping the new program, hospitals and doctors must seek payment from other sources, such as Medicaid and private insurers.
The Bush administration emphasized that hospitals "should not single out individuals who look or sound foreign for closer scrutiny."
"Hospital and other provider personnel may not selectively screen individuals regarding their eligibility status on the basis of race, color or national origin," the guidelines say.
Jan Emerson, a spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association, said California hospitals provided $500 million a year in emergency care for illegal immigrants, seven times the amount of the federal grant.
But she welcomed the new assistance, saying: "This is a highly symbolic first step. The federal government is finally acknowledging that it has a responsibility to pay for health care provided to illegal immigrants."
Under the guidelines, hospitals are expected to make photocopies of documents indicating a patient's immigration status. They will not ordinarily have to submit such documents to the government, but must keep them for review by federal auditors.
Staff writer Cheryl Clark contributed to this report.
========================
$46 million is to cover costs for illegal immigrants
Houston Chronicle, TX - 13 hours ago
... the underlying problem — verifying the extent of illegal immigrant care and eliminating fraud with the system," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. ...
US To Pay Emergency Bills For Immigrants Tampa Tribune
Hospitals to get help from feds Press-Enterprise (subscription)
all 78 related »
The Official Homepage of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Official site, including biography, contact details, services for Texans, issue
positions, Senate schedule, press releases, articles, audiovideo clips, ...
http://hutchison.senate.gov/
Senator Hutchison -- E-Mail Senator Hutchison
... SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON 284 Russell Senate Office Building ... SENATOR KAY
BAILEY HUTCHISON 961 Federal Building 300 East 8th Street ...
http://hutchison.senate.gov/e-mail.htm
Information on Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
... DC Address:, The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison United States Senate 284
Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4302 ...
http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/cgi-bin/newmemberbio.cgi?member=TXSR&site=congressmerge
Local hospitals praise move but call amount far too small
By Robert Pear
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
May 10, 2005
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050510/news_1n10immig.html
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration announced yesterday that it would start paying hospitals and doctors for providing emergency care to illegal immigrants.
The money, totaling $1 billion, will be available for services provided from today through September 2008. Congress provided the money as part of the 2003 law that expanded Medicare to cover prescription drugs, but the new payments have nothing to do with the Medicare program.
Members of Congress from border states had sought the money.
They said the treatment of illegal immigrants imposed a huge financial burden on many hospitals, which are required to provide emergency care to patients who need it, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay.
While health providers in San Diego County applauded the federal government's move, they said the dollar amount is minuscule.
"We've known all along that the amount of money provided under this bill wasn't going to cover it," said Steve Escoboza, spokesman for the Healthcare Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties, which represents hospitals. "But at least the federal government has recognized this burden, and it's a significant movement in the right direction."
Ann Pumpian, chief financial officer for Sharp Healthcare, agreed. "It's a spit in the bucket," she said. "Though it's wonderful, it isn't coming close to covering the costs of services we provide."
Undocumented immigrants receive care costing about $100 million in this county alone every year, Escoboza estimated.
That means that even if the entire nearly $71 million allocated for California were reimbursed only to San Diego County health providers taking care of undocumented patients, the amount would fall $29 million short of covering the basic cost of that care.
Realistically, said Michael Bardin, Scripps Health's senior director of public affairs, San Diego County ambulances, hospitals and doctors treating undocumented patients might expect to receive 15 percent of that $71 million, or about $10 million or $11 million a year.
Of that, Scripps Mercy Hospitals in Chula Vista and Hillcrest, which take care of about 20 percent of the region's undocumented patients, would receive roughly $2 million.
Under the new program, hospitals are supposed to ask patients for certain documents to substantiate claims for payment. But Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said a hospital should not directly ask a patient "if he or she is an undocumented alien."
Instead, he said, hospitals can try to establish a patient's status by analyzing the answers to "indirect questions": Is the person eligible for Medicaid? (If so, payment is generally not available under the new program.) Has the person reported a foreign place of birth? Does the person have a border crossing card like those issued to Mexican citizens? Does the person have a foreign passport, a foreign driver license or a foreign identification card?
The Bush administration abandoned a proposal that would have required many hospitals to ask patients if they were U.S. citizens or legal immigrants.
"In no circumstances are hospitals required to ask people about their citizenship status," McClellan said yesterday.
Hospital executives and immigrant rights groups had said such questions would deter illegal immigrants from seeking hospital care and could lead to serious public health problems by increasing the spread of communicable diseases.
Cecilia Muñoz, a vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil rights group, said the new requirements were an improvement over the original proposal but would still discourage some immigrants from seeking treatment.
"Hospitals will have to ask confusing, highly technical questions about immigration documents," Muñoz said. "That will create a perception in the Latino community that you have to show your papers in order to get emergency care. That's a misperception, but it may be enough to deter some people from seeking care."
The new program is run by the Department of Health and Human Services.
McClellan said the department would not provide information about illegal immigrants to law enforcement officials for use in "routine civil immigration proceedings." But in rare cases, he said, the information may be used in criminal investigations.
The largest allocations this fiscal year are going to California, which will receive $70.8 million; Texas, $46 million; Arizona, $45 million; New York, $12.3 million; Illinois, $10.3 million; Florida, $8.7 million; and New Mexico, $5.1 million.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she was pleased that the money was being made available, even as she called for new efforts to "secure our borders."
Before tapping the new program, hospitals and doctors must seek payment from other sources, such as Medicaid and private insurers.
The Bush administration emphasized that hospitals "should not single out individuals who look or sound foreign for closer scrutiny."
"Hospital and other provider personnel may not selectively screen individuals regarding their eligibility status on the basis of race, color or national origin," the guidelines say.
Jan Emerson, a spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association, said California hospitals provided $500 million a year in emergency care for illegal immigrants, seven times the amount of the federal grant.
But she welcomed the new assistance, saying: "This is a highly symbolic first step. The federal government is finally acknowledging that it has a responsibility to pay for health care provided to illegal immigrants."
Under the guidelines, hospitals are expected to make photocopies of documents indicating a patient's immigration status. They will not ordinarily have to submit such documents to the government, but must keep them for review by federal auditors.
Staff writer Cheryl Clark contributed to this report.
========================
$46 million is to cover costs for illegal immigrants
Houston Chronicle, TX - 13 hours ago
... the underlying problem — verifying the extent of illegal immigrant care and eliminating fraud with the system," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. ...
US To Pay Emergency Bills For Immigrants Tampa Tribune
Hospitals to get help from feds Press-Enterprise (subscription)
all 78 related »
The Official Homepage of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Official site, including biography, contact details, services for Texans, issue
positions, Senate schedule, press releases, articles, audiovideo clips, ...
http://hutchison.senate.gov/
Senator Hutchison -- E-Mail Senator Hutchison
... SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON 284 Russell Senate Office Building ... SENATOR KAY
BAILEY HUTCHISON 961 Federal Building 300 East 8th Street ...
http://hutchison.senate.gov/e-mail.htm
Information on Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
... DC Address:, The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison United States Senate 284
Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4302 ...
http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/cgi-bin/newmemberbio.cgi?member=TXSR&site=congressmerge
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