Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are flooding into U.S. hospitals for treatment and leaving billions in uncompensated health care costs in their wake.
With the majority of the illegal immigrant population lacking any kind of medical insurance, hospitals and government welfare programs such as Medicaid are feeling the weight of these unanticipated costs.
Last year broke a new record high for illegal border crossings, surpassing more than 3.2 million apprehensions.
And with that sea of humanity comes the need for health care and, in most cases, the inability to pay for it.
In January, CEO of Denver Health Donna Lynne told reporters that 8,000 illegal immigrants made roughly 20,000 visits to the city’s health system in 2023.
The total bill for uncompensated care costs last year to the system totaled $140 million, said Dane Roper, public information officer for Denver Health. More than $10 million of it was attributed to “care for new immigrants,” he told The Epoch Times.
Though the amount of debt assigned to illegal immigrants is a fraction of the total, uncompensated care costs in the Denver Health system have risen dramatically over the past few years.
The total uncompensated costs in 2020 came to $60 million, Mr. Roper said. In 2022, the number doubled, hitting $120 million.
He also said their city hospitals are treating issues such as “respiratory illnesses, GI [gastro-intenstinal] illnesses, dental disease, and some common chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes.”
“The perspective we’ve been trying to emphasize all along is that providing healthcare services for an influx of new immigrants who are unable to pay for their care is adding additional strain to an already significant uncompensated care burden,” Mr. Roper said.
He added this is why a local, state, and federal response to the needs of the new illegal immigrant population is “so important.”
Colorado is far from the only state struggling with a trail of unpaid hospital bills.
Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO of the Yuma Regional Medical Center situated on the Arizona–Mexico border, said on average, illegal immigrants cost up to three times more in human resources to resolve their cases and provide a safe discharge.
“We’ve had migrant patients on dialysis, cardiac catheterization, and in need of heart surgery. Many are very sick.”
He said many illegal immigrants who enter the country and need medical assistance end up staying in the ICU ward for 60 days or more.
A large portion of the patients are pregnant women who’ve had little to no prenatal treatment. This has resulted in an increase in babies being born that require neonatal care for 30 days or longer.
Dr. Trenschel told The Epoch Times last year that illegal immigrants were overrunning healthcare services in his town, leaving the hospital with $26 million in unpaid medical bills in just 12 months.
ER Duty to Care
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 requires that public hospitals participating in Medicare “must medically screen all persons seeking emergency care … regardless of payment method or insurance status.”
The numbers are difficult to gauge as the policy position of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is that it “will not require hospital staff to ask patients directly about their citizenship or immigration status.”
American patients are enduring longer wait times for doctor appointments due to a nursing shortage in the state, two health care professionals told The Epoch Times in January.
A health care worker at a hospital in Southern California, who asked not to be named for fear of losing her job, told The Epoch Times that “the entire health care system is just being bombarded” by a steady stream of illegal immigrants.
“Our healthcare system is so overwhelmed, and then add on top of that tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other diseases from all over the world,” she said.
In New York, where the illegal immigration crisis has manifested most notably beyond the southern border, city and state officials have long been accommodating of illegal immigrants’ healthcare costs.
Since June 2014, when then-mayor Bill de Blasio set up The Task Force on Immigrant Health Care Access, New York City has worked to expand avenues for illegal immigrants to get free health care.
The report notes that in 2013, nearly 64 percent of illegal immigrants were uninsured. Since then, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have settled in the city.
“The uninsured rate for undocumented immigrants is more than three times that of other noncitizens in New York City (20 percent) and more than six times greater than the uninsured rate for the rest of the city (10 percent),” the report states.
The report states that because healthcare providers don’t ask patients about documentation status, the task force lacks “data specific to undocumented patients.”
Some health care providers say a big part of the issue is that without a clear path to insurance or payment for non-emergency services, illegal immigrants are going to the hospital due to a lack of options.
“It’s insane, and it has been for years at this point,” Dana, a Texas emergency room nurse who asked to have her full name omitted, told The Epoch Times.
Working for a major hospital system in the greater Houston area, Dana has seen “a zillion” migrants pass through under her watch with “no end in sight.” She said many who are illegal immigrants arrive with treatable illnesses that require simple antibiotics. “Not a lot of GPs [general practitioners] will see you if you can’t pay and don’t have insurance.”
She said the “undocumented crowd” tends to arrive with a lot of the same conditions. Many find their way to Houston not long after crossing the southern border. Some of the common health issues Dana encounters include dehydration, unhealed fractures, respiratory illnesses, stomach ailments, and pregnancy-related concerns.
“This isn’t a new problem, it’s just worse now,” Dana said.
Medicaid Factor
One of the main government healthcare resources illegal immigrants use is Medicaid.
Yet the lion’s share of Medicaid usage by illegal immigrants still comes through state-level benefits and emergency medical treatment.
Both years represent a significant spike from the $3 billion in fiscal 2020.
An employee working with Medicaid who asked to be referred to only as Jennifer out of concern for her job, told The Epoch Times that at a state level, it’s easy for an illegal immigrant to access the program benefits.
Jennifer said that when exceptions are sent from states to CMS for approval, “denial is actually super rare. It’s usually always approved.”
Moreover, Jennifer said there are ways for states to get around CMS guidelines. “It’s not easy, but it can and has been done.”
The first generation of illegal immigrants who arrive to the United States tend to be healthy enough to pass any pre-screenings, but Jennifer has observed that the subsequent generations tend to be sicker and require more access to care. If a family is illegally present, they tend to use Emergency Medicaid or nothing at all.
The Epoch Times asked Medicaid Services to provide the most recent data for the total uncompensated care that hospitals have reported. The agency didn’t respond.
Related Legislation
In Florida, a new 2023 law requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to collect and submit to the state information on patients’ immigration status (although the person can decline to answer).
The Epoch Times requested the most recent report detailing the total uncompensated care costs attributed to illegal immigrants from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, but didn’t receive a response.
The Jackson Health System in Florida offers a discount on services to those without insurance, but they don’t make payment arrangements. A representative named Elsie told The Epoch Times, “We do offer a 70 percent discount to a patient that does not have insurance; however, they must have no insurance at all. The 70 percent discount is offered off the total charge of the bill.”
When asked what happens if a patient refuses to give an ID or provide any personal information at the hospital, Elsie said another department gets involved. “If they are refusing to give information and want to be seen [by a doctor], the escalation team goes ahead to review all that information to see the reason behind why they don’t want to provide information at the time of service.”
Other state legislators have also decried the amount of taxpayer money going to illegal immigrant healthcare.
She said it’s a $768 million, or 346 percent, increase over fiscal year 2023.
In Maryland, lawmakers are seeking to create private insurance options.
Some members of Congress have also been spurred into action.
“Liberal states, like California, have abused loopholes to provide Medicaid to illegal immigrants at the expense of hardworking taxpayers,” Mr. Hudson said. “Not only is this against the law, but it further incentivizes more illegal crossings at our border.”
(With reporting by Brad Jones)
Reprinted with permission from The Epoch Times – By Autumn Spredemann
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
This ticks me off beyond measure. I worked since I was 14 years on. Get on “HORRIBLE,” Medicare, to spend my time fighting with them to pay for my Breast MRI, as a CANCER survivor no less. For years People illegally entering this country and get FREE FREE FREE. I am so sick of our Government. They not only don’t represent us. I think they hate us and want us dead. After this Covid spectacle, prove me wrong.
These are not new immigrants, Mr. Roper et al, they are UNVETTED illegal aliens. We have no idea who are felons or terrorists in the country now, and being not just let in, and bussed in, but flown in, at an alarming number. Hell, almost all are parasites with their hands out, getting free-free-free…all while laughing at our stupidity and giving us both middle fingers.
This is all by design. Despite the lie that nothing can be done, fraud puppet traitors JoeBama deliberately keep the border open. Day one of the install, JoeBama’s executive order opened the borders and ended ‘remain in Mexico’ that stemmed the hordes of illegals pouring in…an executive order today would stop it. But the traitors dont want to stop illegals, or the drugs! Look no further than that the traitors are trying to get all illegals the right to vote…they expect that most illegals will vote D to thank them for all the free-free-free, which will be enough to permanently keep the traitors in power. The expletives hope all the free-free-free will contribute to the collapse of our economy, along with energy dependence, supply chain holdups, food production destruction, the passing of multi-trillion$ bills, executive orders handing out $billions to nations (many our enemy!) while we are over $34TRILLION IN DEBT that’s on hyper warp speed…all to destroy our Constitutional Republic for their preferred totalitarian tyranny.
Demorats bankrupting the country, all by design.
Joe Biden did this day 1
It’s NOT uncompensated! But health care providers are becoming more exhausted and overworked under this dilemma while big government and universities solution is DEI and higher taxes on the working American. The U.S. taxpayer is paying the bill for illegal aliens under the administrative regime of Obama/Biden. Marxist DC and blue states’ administrations are the one violating the Constitution and the law, legally and morally. Red states don’t voluntarily sign on for this treason. Illegal aliens and all the filth they bring are but a symptom of these administrations evil and corruption. I don’t see any of the insurance companies “bottom lines” shrinking or being reduced in numbers, either. Get ready, folks.
This is pretty disgusting when I pay for medical insurance and cannot get the coverage I need when required. BUT if I was an illegal immigrant my insurance would either cover it or absorb the cost increasing my monthly premium or denying me even more coverage! This is despicable!! Thank you Brandon!!!
And whose fault is all of this? Hint: I wasn’t one of the idiots that put him in office 3 years ago.
I left the emergency department in 2005, to work in another area of nursing. It doesn’t surprise me that the number of illegals seeking medical care has increased, with the open border policies of this current administration. The uninsured have always used the emergency department as their primary medical care source. We treated all patients who came to us for care, it’s the right thing to do. Over time, however, the number of individuals seeking medical care, without insurance coverage has created quite a problem. The American taxpayer ultimately pays for all the medical expenses that the hospitals provide. As families are impacted by higher taxes and the inability to afford their own health insurance premiums, they too may start using the emergency department as their primary source of medical care and more and more people are added to the Medicaid program. Eventually only the very wealthy will be able to cover the costs of their medical care and all others will be under government assistance, and beholden to the party that granted them such a gift. Call me skeptical, but, perhaps this was the left’s plan all along.
Yes, President Biden and his overseers are well aware and proud of this planned usurpation of the rights of American voters.
It’s all about replacing our constitutional republic by way of buying immigrant votes with the money of responsible citizens.
Mel Brooks once said “Its good to be the king”… with Democrats, it’s good to be illegal. I’m confused why China would build EV factories in Mexico when all the labor is here… and all with a fresh bill of health thanks to unpaid bills everywhere else!
Interesting. All the years when I struggled to get employment that offered ‘subsidized’ ‘affordable healthcare’ for myself and my family. and then PAID DEARLY for the same when I was released from employment. For some reason I cannot ‘fathom’, Pro bono fromt he medical profession never NEVER entered the conversation. As a Christian, I trusted The LORD and HE provided, But, as a UNITED STATES citizen. I only remember one or two incidents among many wherein I was accorded ‘covered’ procedures, visits, etc. As a veteran, I paid more than $1000 per month (!) for healthcare for my family through a government program from age 58 to 60 (because the government health care for veterans did not start until 60; only recently has the government even started addressing this inequity). I will not make any ‘cute’ comments about what is happening now – it is plain shameful, the thought that a possible illegal alien terrorist or criminal may be ‘flipping us off’ while getting free benefits at our taxpayer expense. What part do not the ‘Washingtonians’ ‘get it?’ Someone will pay … Relying on The LORD, and as I have been for years, along with others, praying for this nation to get back to where they need to be (Romans 13). Thank you. John 3, v. 16
Break the backs of the white middle class to make the migrants the new citizens. Genocide of the white race. Pure and simple.
Biden wanted the illegal’s to be here. He should be held responsible for all of them and crime’s they commit and medical bills they create. Send him the bills !
Bring some more foreigners into our country, everyone still has not learned yet. If this isn’t stop soon it is going to turn our country into a third world country if it already hasn’t.
To the Biden White House, it’s not about sound governance or public welfare… it’s about usurping power with the money of the voters, in a way that renders them “officially unrepresented”.
And yet they want to kick Trump off their ballot. The man that had illegal border crossing under better control than ever before. You can’t fix stupid.
Talk to Joe and his ultra liberal supporters. That’s how we got in this mess. Even the electric car companies they all love so much haven’t lost quite that much, but getting close.
If this does not wreak of the powers to be destroying America, I don’t know what does. Many Americans can’t qualify for any healthcare but illegals don’t even have to pay hospitals at all for care. Time to take action yet folks???
What an epic disaster Biden has unleashed on this country. The ripple effects of his policies are astounding. It’s hard to recognize this country anymore, and taxpayers have to pay for all the damage without any input or permission to spend our money this way.
I’m sure We The People will pay for illegals’ medical bills. This administration loves throwing tax $$$$ at whatever is the whim of a demented man who takes orders from his former boss. Fundamental changing America is still happening and with more frenzy than ever; and it’s heading us to 3rd world status.
This is the most outrageous thing this moron president has done to the people of this country. We have very good health insurance but the cost is going up every year. Very soon, most people will not be able to afford care. It will never happen but Biden should be charged with treason and spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Border states like Texas should bus these nvetted, illegal people to the streets and homes of Biden, Obama, Cinton and all of the other Marxists who created this mess. Those smug sobs and their multiple homes should deal with what Texas and we peons face every day. That puppet in the WH is a full fledged, certifiable idi*t. I hold him legally responsible for the two deaths in my family committed by unvetted murderers!
The solution is to remove both this evil satanic government and the army of worthless vagabonds referred to as immigrants. This regime is straight out of hell and must be destroyed.
No surprise here, remember that the Left’s objective is to bankrupt the nation and ruin the economy, then raise taxes on all as all socialist regimes do.
Unpaid?
Wrong, taxpayers on hook.
You keep misspelling illegal alien!!! They’re not immigrants. Illegal aliens!!!
Oh, you actually expected them to pay their bills??? IDIOT!!
Now if these people that were in desperate need of health care were no illegals, they would be declined health care and shown the door because they could not produce some kind of insurance. But because they are here at President and Homeland Securities, invitation they get everything they want free. They even get a Get out of Jail Free card after committing 1st degree murder. It’s time to stop the insanity.
Are we the people just plain stupid or what??
““care for new immigrants,””
What a nice term for illegal aliens. Where does the cost go? To taxpayers who have nothing to say in the matter. We have a rogue administration throwing our tax dollars around for personal gain – power.
Old folks get Medicare and in my case TriCare as retired military. What quality of care do I get? Grudging at best. The medical policy seems to be leaning towards doing less as we age. Not expecting miracles but what is made available is poor.
Doctors are leaving practices in sanctuary states and medical facilities are closing down. Health insurance keeps going up for us and all these illegals are getting free, disgusting. How far will they continue to push legal citizens?
This dummy Biden’s Build Back Better all he and his people in Washington want is to look like they are so great while they screw every citizen in this country. We the true citizen’s of this country will have to pay the bill thank’s to Biden and Harris and there people in Washington.These people they let into this country will never pay for nothing thank’s to Washington. They are going after Trump in New York and Atlanta all these states are for Biden and Harris these are Dem run states and they will try to stop Trump any way they can such corruption never seen before. The citizens of this country will always be broke because of the Dems in control.
I wish our government would start treating us Citizens as well as they treat illegals.
DEPORT ALL UNDOCUMENTED ILLEGAL INVADERS
Send all bills to “Joe Biden” our great leader.
I don’t know, it seems to me that when people started pouring into Ellis Island looking to become US citizens the system worked good for them. They came here not to be Irish Americans, or Italian Americans, they came here to be Americans. They went through the process, they learned about the American way of life, they could tell you who the presidents were through our history, and probably knew the nations history better than many High School graduates did. They were proud to stand up and take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and were proud to say they are American. This country over time has gone to hell in a handbasket, kids from different nationalities insisting they are African American, Latin American, Asian American etc. If their families came here legally and became naturalized citizens then they should be damn glad to be called AMERICANS period. To call themselves by anything other shows disrespect to this country. This insanity needs to stop. The Illegals coming over the border now are all part of the Democrats plan to turn this country into a Dictatorship run by Democrats. They don’t want interference from Free Thinking People. They want to make all these Illegals VOTERS so they will vote Democrat because that is the party that let them in. Take a good hard look at London and other major European Cities that are having Bombings, and Shootings, we didn’t have that problem here until our Federal Government Stopped working to protect our borders. And yes I am saying it has been going on much longer than anyone wants to admit to. And I will say to that the blame does not fall just on the shoulders of the Democrat Party but on the Republican Party as well. Someone needs to get their collective shit together get their heads out of the sand and become strong enough to make a conviction to straighten this country out. Both parties need to learn to find a Middle Ground and build from it. This far Left and Right rhetoric needs to stop. It has been proven over the years (a while ago now) that a middle ground can be found and followed. Compromise, is the key. If this cannot be done this country will be lost as a world leader. And will become a 2nd or 3rd world country beholding to China or Russia. And if you don’t know that is what those two countries want then we as a nation are a lost cause.
We can all thank joe and the demokrats for this. Yep, that open door policy at the border is really working joe. thank you and the KKK party you represent.
Thank you, Joe ????
When my niece had ankle surgery in England she had to give them her passport until her bill was paid, IN FULL! Wish that would happen here but, gee, no passports on these illegals!
How close is AMAC interaction with Donald Trump. Must have a lot of power as I received email invitation to attend Border911 dinner at mar.a.lago on April 4th, but it actually looks like a fundraiser for the group.
“New York City has a moral duty to ensure that all its residents have meaningful access to needed health care, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay,” Mr. de Blasio stated in a 2015 report. Pardon me, but when have illegal aliens become residents? I’m so tired of paying for people who have no right to be here.
Wont be long before the whole country fails as part of The Democrats goal of total communism takes over,2024.
Anyone voting for a Democrat in the up coming elections need to do a reality check or admit publicly they are Communist. With all that is happening to this country how can anyone vote for the destruction of this Great Country. We are the last beacon of hope. The illegals are also squatting in homes and playing the system it is not just Health Care. A Federal Judge says they have a right to be ARMED. The Democrats are intensely destroying this Country and our Free way of life.
Whenever I go to a health care provider, I am required to produce a photo ID and pony up a co-pay before I can see a doctor or PA. I am on Medicare and have a supplement. I am sure the illegal aliens don’t have to do that since they probably don’t have a legal ID. What is wrong with this picture? I am unsure if our country can make it until the elections. Joe Biden and the democrats are trying everything they can to ruin this country.
Send the bills to Washington DC. They are paying for every thing else, why not this??? We end up paying for them anyway and seem to have no say so in the matter.
What happened to the Visa credit cards,
Yes and I am pissed! All illegals need to be sent back to where they came from. They are a part of the illegal invasion that has been happening for way too long! We need President Trump back in office.
Let Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Obama, Soros, and Schumer pick up the tab.
All part of the Leftist Lunacy sponsored by the now Socialist Leftist Democratic Politicians Party. Let the Hospitals file bankruptcy. No tax dollars for bail out of anything, cities, hotels, banks , or anything else used for illegals. If you provide them anything it is a donation and you support the 3rd world invasion. Must not let the now Socialist Democratic Party bring this invasion and charge taxpayers.
THIS IS LEFTIST AMERICA