AZhitman wrote:Indigent people get emergency care on your (and my) dime. People without insurance are treated as well. People who file medical bankruptcy? They're treated on our dime as well (after all is said and done).
Yep. So I don't see how the argument people make that they don't want to pay for these people's expenses hold water since they already do. Implementing a UH system would compartmentalize it so that anyone receiving "free" benefits would only be a burden on a single system. As it stands, they are a burden on any systems where they might be transfer the debt to (directly or indirectly). Such a circumstance could mean that people who pay for insurance/medical expenses AND use credit are likely going to be paying a larger share of the over all medical expenses for everyone else. And oif course, this is simplified, but its just to make a point.
AZhitman wrote:In AZ, illegal immigrants are treated in the same E.R. as citizens, the insured, and paying customers... and that's CRAP.
You mean, like people?
AZhitman wrote:I know, I sound cruel, but let me illustrate a scenario for you:
Spent many a night in the ER when my wife was battling terminal cancer. Usually, these ER visits were terrifying, because of the effects of the illness, and she needed care RIGHT NOW.
However, I, as a protective husband, had to sit and endure the frustration of waiting as I watched some illegal who had cut his head open after falling off a truck bed (drunk as hell, I might add) go ahead of her in line. (This was one of many such examples.)
That guy's mere existence in that room tells me there's something fundamentally wrong with how we do things here. The fact that her suffering was lengthened (because he strolled in 30 seconds before her) makes me sick to my stomach.
So, pardon me for not being a quiet dissenter.
Greg, we all can empathize with Stacey's illness and what you and your family went through. But consider that every other person that goes into an E.R., regardless of where they come from, how much money they have and if they have insurance or not, is someone's husband, wife, daughter, son, etc. The value of one's life can not be measured by how much money they make or if they can pay the bill. Consider for a moment that for whatever reason, you had no insurance, and the E.R. you went to simply rejected you. How would you feel then?
As far as the circumstance with the drunk guy who fell out of his truck, what if he were a citizen or legal resident? Its not uncommon for legal people to get drunk and receive stupid injuries (hell many don't even need to be drunk ). Stacey was surely dealt a bad hand. There's not a whole lot we could do to change the fact that bad hands get dealt. But do consider that most illegal immigrants here are likely here because they were dealt a bad hand themselves. Being born to a low-income family in a country where economic opportunities are small. So like many hard working people in the states, they are doing what they feel they need to. Perhaps to the extent that it would even some citizens to shame...
nissangirl74 wrote:We shouldn't. However, in order for any new plan to work, we must first identify the root cause of the problem. Yes, the healthcare system is broken. But why? When a system fails, it is because one of the components stops functioning correctly.
I couldn't agree with this statement more. Much like a car, we don't throw away a car because it stops running. You fix the problem. Could throwing away the car be a valid solution? Sure. But you still have to evaluate what the problems are, and if its worth fixing in relation to other options.
