naplesnews.com
Florida hospitals are racking up millions in unpaid bills from medical care provided to uninsured non-U.S. citizens, and the tab will escalate without federal legislative reform, a new study shows.
The Florida Hospital Association has released findings that show the number of uninsured noncitizens being admitted into hospitals, most frequently through the costly emergency room, has nearly doubled from 1997 to 2001, with 7,600 admissions.
The bulk of these patients have no resources to pay their bills and the expense ultimately is passed on to insured residents. The state has 1.6 million undocumented immigrants and legal noncitizens; nearly 50 percent of them don't have insurance.
Southwest Florida hospital officials say their emergency rooms and patient floors are no strangers to immigrants, especially to undocumented laborers. These individuals know hospitals in the United States, by law, cannot turn away anyone who comes to the emergency room for medical attention.
"They come here (to the U.S.) and present to the emergency room, and once they have done that, they have gained entry to the U.S. health care system," said Edward Morton, president and chief executive officer of the NCH Healthcare System in Collier County. "Hospitals have virtually no one to turn to."
Based on survey responses requested last summer on specific case data, the association found hospitals provided $40.2 million in medical care during the first six months of 2002 to 705 uninsured noncitizens.
Posted by Suzanne at January 13, 2003