U.S. Is Linking Immigrant Patients’ Status to Hospital Aid | NYT | 8.10.04
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 - The federal government is offering $1 billion to hospitals that provide emergency care to undocumented immigrants. But to get the money, hospitals would have to ask patients about their immigration status, a prospect that alarms hospitals and advocates for immigrants.
When Congress decided to provide the money last year, state officials and hospital executives saw it as a breakthrough. For years, they had argued that the federal government was responsible for immigration policy and should cover the costs of medical care for illegal immigrants because it had created the problem. These costs weigh heavily on border states like Texas, Arizona and California and on states like New York and Illinois, with large numbers of such immigrants.
The largest allocations are going to
- California, $72 million a year;
- Texas, $48 million;
- Arizona, $42 million;
- New York, $12 million;
- Illinois, $10 million;
- and Florida, $9 million. …
The Department of Health and Human Services wants hospitals seeking reimbursement to ask patients these questions, among others:
- “Are you a United States citizen?”
- “Are you a lawful permanent resident, an alien with a valid current employment authorization card or other qualified alien?”
- “Are you in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa” of the type issued to students, tourists and business travelers?
- “Are you a foreign citizen who has been admitted to the United States with a 72-hour border crossing card?”…
Always, always, always be careful for what you seek from the government—no mention how these questions will sequence with the EMTALA duty and the danger of financial coercion added to the new lack of privacy and illegal–status coercion.