Living Behind Enemy Lines, Tale #27: Medical Care Stolen From Americans

Before Biden/Harris opened the floodgates, importing 20-21 million foreign nationals, only Americans living in Blue States, Blue Cities and Sanctuary Jurisdictions suffered directly because their state & local overlords loved illegals more than they loved Americans. Now, Americans in Red States are suffering, too. Are you an American needing to go to the Emergency Room in a major city? You will be waiting in the lobby for hours because your needs come second.

“Liberal states, like California, have abused loopholes to provide Medicaid to illegal immigrants at the expense of hardworking taxpayers,” Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) said. “Not only is this against the law, but it further incentivizes more illegal crossings at our border.”

Month by month, as Trump 47 deports Biden’s “newcomers,” Americans in Sanctuary Jurisdictions will have greater access to medical care, and health care costs will start to decrease.

TRANSFERRING MEDICAL RESOURCES FROM AMERICANS TO “NEWCOMERS”

The Biden/Harris Regime knew this would happen. They did not care that Americans’ health care would suffer as they were importing massive numbers of foreign nationals. They did not care as they watched health care systems begin to collapse. The Biden/Harris Regime does not reimburse hospitals and doctors for medical care for their “newcomers,” who have never paid insurance premiums. Unfortunately, federal law^ requires that these freeloaders receive the same medical care received by Americans who pay out of pocket and/or have paid health insurance premiums for decades.

Americans living at or near the southern border have been suffering from less and less local health care for well over three years now while illegal aliens’ health care comes first. The average illegal is in worse shape than the average American due to the fact that 1) many have had little or no health care their entire lives and 2) many (the ones Biden did not fly in or bus in) have trekked hundreds of miles through rough terrain. Now, Americans far from Eagle Pass, El Paso, Yuma and other border towns are paying the price for Biden’s open border policies with higher medical costs and longer waits for care.

Tens of thousands of illegals have flooded into US hospitals for treatment, leaving billions in uncompensated health care costs in their wake. In November 2023, the House Committee on Homeland Security released a report illustrating that, from the estimated $451 billion in annual costs to feed, house, transport, et al Biden’s invaders, a significant portion is going to health care.

NOTE: Hospitals are required to provide and pay for interpreters for patients who don’t speak English.

With virtually all illegals lacking any kind of medical insurance, hospitals and government welfare programs such as Medicaid are feeling the weight of these unbudgeted for costs. Apprehensions of illegals at the southern border have jumped 48 percent since fiscal year 2021 (10/01/20 to 09/30/21) and nearly tripled since fiscal year 2019 (10/01/18 to 09/30/19), according to Customs and Border Protection data. Fiscal year 2023 (10/01/22 to 09/30/23) broke a new record high for illegal border crossings, surpassing more than 3.2 million apprehensions. NOTE: This figure does not include the “gotaways” who are mostly criminals & terrorists and, thus, do not want to be vetted.

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Working for a major hospital system in the greater Houston area, Dana has seen “a zillion” migrants pass through the Emergency Room under her watch with “no end in sight.” She said many 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, so they come to the ER.”

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.

DENVER, COLORADO

Officials in Denver, Colorado welcomed illegal aliens with open arms even though they claim that Denver is not a sanctuary city. A year ago, two hospital systems in Denver admitted the influx of people streaming over the border is putting such a huge strain on their systems that it is leading to complete meltdowns. In January 2024, the CEO of Denver Health told reporters that 8,000 illegal immigrants made roughly 20,000 visits to the city’s health system in 2023. Say what? Each illegal averaged almost THREE visits?

The total bill for uncompensated care costs in 2023 in just this one Denver health care system totaled $140 million, more than $10 million of it was attributed to “care for new immigrants.” The total uncompensated costs in 2020 came to $60 million. In 2022, the number doubled, hitting $120 million.

YUMA, ARIZONA

Americans living in and around Yuma, AZ, lost access to local hospitals three plus years ago because illegal aliens take up all the beds, including maternity & NICO beds. A large portion of the patients are pregnant women (giving birth in America gives them an anchor baby which, they hope, will protect them from deportation) 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. Americans, including pregnant women, must drive or fly 150 miles to Phoenix or San Diego to receive medical care and give birth.

Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO of the Yuma Regional Medical Center said, on average, illegal aliens cost up to three times more in resources to resolve their medical cases and provide a safe discharge. “Some [illegal] migrants come with minor ailments, but many of them come in with significant disease,” Dr. Trenschel said during a congressional hearing February, 2023. “We’ve had migrant patients on dialysis, cardiac catheterization, and in need of heart surgery. Many are very sick.”

He said many illegals who enter the country and need medical assistance end up staying in the ICU ward for 60 days or more. Dr. Trenschel told The Epoch Times in early 2023 that illegals were overrunning healthcare services in his town, leaving the hospital with $26 million in unpaid medical bills in just 12 months.

CALIFORNIA

In southern California, close to the border with Mexico, hospitals are struggling due to the influx of Biden’s “newcomers.” American patients are enduring longer wait times for doctor appointments due to a nursing shortage in the state. A health care worker at one such hospital, told The Epoch Times that “the entire health care system is just being bombarded” by a steady stream of foreign nationals. “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.

A Californian law enacted in January 2024, promises to continue the collapse of health care in the state. It provides free healthcare for all illegal aliens residing in the state. The new law will cost taxpayers between $3 billion and $6 billion per year in addition to what they are now paying, according to recent estimates by state and federal lawmakers.

NEW YORK

In New York City, where the illegal immigration crisis has turned out to be the most critical for any city beyond the southern border, city and state officials have long been accommodating of illegals’ health care 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 illegals to get health care paid by American taxpayers. Even Americans who do not themselves have health care insurance, must pay illegals’ health care costs.

ILLINOIS

In Illinois, the state’s “program of health benefits for undocumented immigrants is estimated to cost $990 million” for fiscal year 2024, said state Rep. Norine Hammond during a 2023 press conference. That is a $768 million, or 346 percent, increase over fiscal year 2023.

“Illinois taxpayers are already on the hook for more than $2 billion in costs to provide free healthcare benefits to illegal alien immigrants. When is enough enough?” state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer said in a November 2023 statement.

^ER Duty to Care The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 requires that public hospitals participating in Medicare (virtually ALL American hospitals) “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.”