Here’s one key reason why our healthcare costs keep going up, and up, and up, despite the fact that Americans in general are getting healthier, living longer, and suffering from less cancer and other diseases.
Testimony of illegal alien care from 1 Florida hospital
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLJxmJZXgNI
. . . more
The lady in the video quotes a 2007 statistic from the Florida Hospital Association that the medical care of illegal aliens costs $100 million year.
The Florida Hospital Association also publishes statistics for the entire state. In 2007 the total operating expense for all Florida community hospitals was $30.4 billion.
http://www.fha.org/facts.html
In other words, based on FHA statistics, illegal immigrants account for around .3 percent (three-tenths of one percent) of all medical costs in that state, barely a blip on the radar. While the burden of that care no doubt falls disproportionately on certain hospitals, from a statewide perspective care of illegal immigrants is not a significant medical cost driver.
What’s a few hundred million dollars when hundreds of billions are being wasted by the leftist-in-chief, right? Yet another distraction from the point of this video. Illegal immigrants abuse our goodwill and steal taxpayer money that should have been used to care for LEGAL residents of this country. God knows how many Americans and legal residents could have used that $100 million. Even one million is too much, let alone $100 million, which is probably significantly understated.
Mind you, in California that number is in the billions! It’s even worse because these illegals come here and abuse the ER system, causing delays to emergency care to other patients, stresses the system (ERs are not supposed to be primary care offices), which in turn causes hospitals to lose money and eventually close (either the ER or the whole facility). Worse still, insurance companies, in order to stay in business, pass the costs to the rest of us. Since we pay for our own insurance, we have seen on average 10-15% raises each year for the last 7 years, 4-5 times the rate of inflation. I’m being forced to subsidize the illegals, while my own family suffers financially, has to forgo care, and pays the price. Sheer insanity!
It’s one thing for individuals to voluntarily donate money and resources to help those in need, it’s another to purposely come here illegally and steal from others and abuse the system. The fact that Jim and others can’t tell the difference is par for the course for the leftist apologists.
I agree with the editor 100%. Even one dollar spent on an illegal alien is one dollar too much. You want to come to America – come the right way or don’t come at all. I want our immigration laws enforced and sanity restored to our immigration system. We, as the American people have the right to choose who we let and and who we don’t. Illegal immigration takes this most basic fundamental right of citizenship out of our hands. Put a stop to illegal immigration now! Enagege in Comprehensive Immigration Enforcement, not amnesty. Attrition through enforcement works.