Quick question

[SEC=UGA]

If people in the US don't have access to healthcare under the current system, how is it possible that, according to a 2006 report by the Texas state comptroller, illegal immigrants received approximately $1.3 billion in state and federally covered medical care at Texas state hospitals?

[caddyman]

If people in the US don't have access to healthcare under the current system, how is it possible that, according to a 2006 report by the Texas state comptroller, illegal immigrants received approximately $1.3 billion in state and federally covered medical care at Texas state hospitals?

Oh they have plenty of access. Most people on the horse crap list of uninsured do not want insurance or don't bother to fill out the forms. We just need to agree that healthcare was not about insuring the uninsured, it was about adding more voters to the list of entitled. Take away entitlements and the left could not win an election ever.

[alexgaddis]

Oh they have plenty of access. Most people on the horse crap list of uninsured do not want insurance or don't bother to fill out the forms. We just need to agree that healthcare was not about insuring the uninsured, it was about adding more voters to the list of entitled. Take away entitlements and the left could not win an election ever.

Dude, Hannity told me the SAME THING!!...

[Savage Beatings]

If people in the US don't have access to healthcare under the current system, how is it possible that, according to a 2006 report by the Texas state comptroller, illegal immigrants received approximately $1.3 billion in state and federally covered medical care at Texas state hospitals?

 

Who doesn't have access?

[caddyman]

Dude, Hannity told me the SAME THING!!...

I guess you are saying that it is not true? I don't listen to Hannity anymore.

[bpwallace49]

If people in the US don't have access to healthcare under the current system, how is it possible that, according to a 2006 report by the Texas state comptroller, illegal immigrants received approximately $1.3 billion in state and federally covered medical care at Texas state hospitals?

 

All will become clear when the death panels are assembled . . .

 

The bill wasnt about access, it was about INSURANCE. Everyone has access, but not everyone pays for it . . .

[SEC=UGA]

All will become clear when the death panels are assembled . . .

 

The bill wasnt about access, it was about INSURANCE. Everyone has access, but not everyone pays for it . . .

 

And under the new bill they will... AWESOME!!!!!!

[bushwacked]

And under the new bill they will... AWESOME!!!!!!

 

 

No.

[SEC=UGA]

No.

 

I was asking if everyone will pay for healthcare/insurance under the new law. I wasn't stating that illegals will get free healthcare under the new law, which incidentally, though it isn't outlined in the law, they will because nothing in the law changes the fact that hospitals have to treat whoever comes into the hospital whether they have the ability to pay or not.

[Pope Flick]

I was asking if everyone will pay for healthcare/insurance under the new law. I wasn't stating that illegals will get free healthcare under the new law, which incidentally, though it isn't outlined in the law, they will because nothing in the law changes the fact that hospitals have to treat whoever comes into the hospital whether they have the ability to pay or not.

 

 

False. Only "emergency situations" is it remotely true. but if you have cancer and no insurance try getting a non-emergency treatment from them. Even if their turning you down worsens your condition it happens all the time.

[SEC=UGA]

Soo you can't get treatments for free from hospitals...

 

 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

Grady Memorial Hospital is offering to relocate about 60 outpatient dialysis patients to other states or send them back to their home countries as the hospital prepares to close its dialysis unit.

 

Hospital officials say they are willing to spend thousands of dollars to help relocate each patient and their family, including plane tickets, moving expenses and rent security fees.

 

“We’re committed to ensuring that every patient has a place for care, and every patient gets the right medical care,” said Grady spokesman Matt Gove.

 

But some patients are scared and panicking. They say they cannot move to another state or back to their home country. Many are poor, uninsured and undocumented immigrants. Grady has been their last resort. They’re afraid when the clinic closes, they’ll have nowhere to go and their health will spiral.

 

“I have no place to go,” said Ismael Sagredo, 52, of Tucker who has been on dialysis for 18 months. He spoke through an interpreter. “I’m afraid I’m going to die.”

 

Grady officials say they understand that some patients will not take the relocation offer, and the officials said these people will not be left out in the cold.

 

If the patient resides in Fulton or DeKalb — the two counties which provide direct subsidies to Grady — then Grady will find a private dialysis provider and pay their bill, Gove said.

 

If they reside outside those two counties, the hospital will work to find a care provider in their home county to help care for the person, he said. But Grady won’t pay that bill.

 

But several dialysis patients said they were never told this. They said they didn’t know that if they chose not to relocate, Grady would help them find them care and take care of their bill.

 

About 100 patients and advocates crowded a meeting of Grady board Monday to protest the planned closing of the clinic Sunday.

 

Grady spokesman Gove acknowledged that some of the patients were not told early on that they had the option to stay with Grady footing their bill. He said the hospital wanted to emphasize to patients their options beyond being dependent on Grady. If those options were not available, patients were informed they could stay and Grady would continue to assist them, he said.

Grady Memorial Hospital officials on Monday offered up to a six-month reprieve to patients concerned their health would spiral after the closing of the outpatient dialysis clinic.

 

The Grady board, acting on a motion by board member Michael Hollis, voted to extend the license on the clinic for up to six months. The license was set to expire Sept. 30.

 

That doesn’t mean the clinic will stay open another six months, officials said. It means the clinic will stay open until each of the patients has a viable plan for receiving care elsewhere, said hospital CEO Michael Young.

 

“I’m committed to not letting anyone die,” Young said.

 

Grady officials said the clinic could still close shortly.

 

Gove said a handful of the patients have already relocated under the plan, and several more are in the final stages before leaving.

 

Grady officials said they plan to close the outpatient dialysis unit because the clinic is old, uses outdated equipment and has lost between $2 million and $4 million a year in recent years.

 

The problem is that about 60 of the clinic’s 90 patients are undocumented immigrants who cannot collect government aid such as Medicaid. That makes it difficult to transfer them to a private provider.

 

Virtually none of these 60 patients has insurance or government assistance.

 

Advocates for these patients have blasted the plan as an elaborate way to dump these patients and make them someone else’s problem.

 

The advocates say these patients have had a short time to make major life-changing decisions. They are worried about moving family members, leaving others behind, finding work and upsetting the lives they’ve established in the metro area.

 

They also say that Grady officials are scaring them about their prospects should they stay.

Patricia Ventura, 32, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, said a Grady representative told her that if she stayed, she would have to seek care through the emergency room.

 

Grady officials, for their part, say they are taking extra steps to ensure patients continue to receive care, as the charity hospital struggles with an expected $35 million operating deficit this year.

 

Grady loses about $75,000 a year providing care to each of these nonpaying patients.

Grady plans to shift about 30 of the outpatient dialysis patients to private providers in metro Atlanta. These patients are U.S. citizens and almost all either have Medicaid or Medicare or are soon to receive it.

 

Gove, the hospital spokesman, said hospital officials expect as many as 20 of the patients who are undocumented immigrants will relocate to another state. He said Grady has found about 11 states in the country that provide Medicaid assistance for undocumented immigrants for outpatient dialysis treatment. Georgia does not. The states include New York, North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Washington, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.

 

Gove said these patients will receive some guidance from Grady on setting up their health care in the new state, but will be largely left on their own in negotiating the system.

 

Officials say that eight patients have committed to locate back to their home country, and more may follow. Many come from Mexico but others are from Togo, Ethiopia, Honduras, El Salvador, the Philippines and Guyana. The hospital is working with the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta and a private group that specializes in relocating people to Latin America and helping them obtain health care there.

After the center closes, patients in transition would receive care at a local provider and Grady would foot the bill, Gove said.

 

While Grady plans to close its outpatient dialysis unit, it plans to continue operation of its inpatient dialysis.

[Pope Flick]

Soo you can't get treatments for free from hospitals...

 

 

In some cases you can, but in some cases you cannot. So stop propagating a lie: that any hospital anywhere has to help you. It simply isn't the case.

[driveby]

So stop propagating a lie:

This statement seems ironic for some reason.

[keggerz]

I just got two bills:

 

1. ER visit where I got there at 1am and was discharged by 8am(but their paperwork says I was discharged at 6am)...had an MRI, got pain meds, they ran urine tests...oh and fwiw it took over 3 hours before they gave me any pain meds or a doc saw me...and this ER wasn't busy (me and two others waiting and I was wheeled past rooms that were all empty and I could hear nurses joking and laughing while laying in pain waiting for a doc...all at a cost of $5,032.08

 

2. Out Patient Surgery to remove a kidney stone at a cost of $11,318.92

[bushwacked]

the fact that hospitals have to treat whoever comes into the hospital whether they have the ability to pay or not.

 

Mega Dittos.

[evil_gop_liars]

I just got two bills:

 

1. ER visit where I got there at 1am and was discharged by 8am(but their paperwork says I was discharged at 6am)...had an MRI, got pain meds, they ran urine tests...oh and fwiw it took over 3 hours before they gave me any pain meds or a doc saw me...and this ER wasn't busy (me and two others waiting and I was wheeled past rooms that were all empty and I could hear nurses joking and laughing while laying in pain waiting for a doc...all at a cost of $5,032.08

 

2. Out Patient Surgery to remove a kidney stone at a cost of $11,318.92

 

Once Obamacare is in place, perch will be taking care of that bill for you....

[millerx]

I just got two bills:

 

1. ER visit where I got there at 1am and was discharged by 8am(but their paperwork says I was discharged at 6am)...had an MRI, got pain meds, they ran urine tests...oh and fwiw it took over 3 hours before they gave me any pain meds or a doc saw me...and this ER wasn't busy (me and two others waiting and I was wheeled past rooms that were all empty and I could hear nurses joking and laughing while laying in pain waiting for a doc...all at a cost of $5,032.08

 

2. Out Patient Surgery to remove a kidney stone at a cost of $11,318.92

Nurses can't order pain meds, the doctor has to see you and/or order them himself. In between jobs the nurses will share the common water cooler talk and joke around with each other. The ED docs are always understaffed because they cost so much to employ and good ones are hard to find.

 

If you think you had to wait for a long time before Obamacare, just wait until after.

 

Curious, did you have insurance, or are you paying the cost of these visits? I only ask because most people don't look at the total bill, but only at the cost they have to pay. Some of the problem with coverage as it is today could be fixed if people saw the actual bill for services rendered and had to pay for it themselves. I think it would cut down drastically, the expense of useless tests and drugs that weren't "really" needed thus reducing the cost of healthcare.

[tosberg34]

Once Obamacare is in place, perch will be taking care of that bill for you....

 

And for what OCare is going to cost everyone, that's about all he'll be able to do.

[tosberg34]

Nurses can't order pain meds, the doctor has to see you and/or order them himself. In between jobs the nurses will share the common water cooler talk and joke around with each other. The ED docs are always understaffed because they cost so much to employ and good ones are hard to find.

If you think you had to wait for a long time before Obamacare, just wait until after.

 

Curious, did you have insurance, or are you paying the cost of these visits? I only ask because most people don't look at the total bill, but only at the cost they have to pay. Some of the problem with coverage as it is today could be fixed if people saw the actual bill for services rendered and had to pay for it themselves. I think it would cut down drastically, the expense of useless tests and drugs that weren't "really" needed thus reducing the cost of healthcare.

 

I actually got in line yesterday in hopes that I'll be able to get in in 30 years when I actually need it. I like to be pro-active.

[keggerz]

Nurses can't order pain meds, the doctor has to see you and/or order them himself. In between jobs the nurses will share the common water cooler talk and joke around with each other. The ED docs are always understaffed because they cost so much to employ and good ones are hard to find.

 

If you think you had to wait for a long time before Obamacare, just wait until after.

 

Curious, did you have insurance, or are you paying the cost of these visits? I only ask because most people don't look at the total bill, but only at the cost they have to pay. Some of the problem with coverage as it is today could be fixed if people saw the actual bill for services rendered and had to pay for it themselves. I think it would cut down drastically, the expense of useless tests and drugs that weren't "really" needed thus reducing the cost of healthcare.

I have insurance and only have to pay a co-pay...while I don't know the exact costs to do a surgery etc I must say that those prices seem high...higher than they probably should be...with a large part of the reason probably being due to the insurance companies and red tape etc...especially for the ER visit....and yeah I know the nurse can't order the pain meds but 3 hours before the doc saw me seems like a pretty long wait.

Edited July 27, 2010 by keggerz

[alexgaddis]

Once Obamacare is in place, perch will be taking care of that bill for you....

MrBurns: Excellent

[lennykravitz2004]

Some of the problem with coverage as it is today could be fixed if people saw the actual bill for services rendered and had to pay for it themselves. I think it would cut down drastically, the expense of useless tests and drugs that weren't "really" needed thus reducing the cost of healthcare.

 

How am I supposed to know which tests are needed and which ones aren't? I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Shouldn't the onus be on the doctor(s) and/or the hospitals? Aren't they the "experts" here?

[keggerz]

How am I supposed to know which tests are needed and which ones aren't? I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Shouldn't the onus be on the doctor(s) and/or the hospitals? Aren't they the "experts" here?

+100000000000000

[millerx]

How am I supposed to know which tests are needed and which ones aren't? I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Shouldn't the onus be on the doctor(s) and/or the hospitals? Aren't they the "experts" here?

 

meeeeehhhhh.... I'm not saying the answer is to self diagnose yourself, but that by being more involved in the cost, you might be more inquisitive in what each procedure is for and if it is really needed. I'm not an auto mechanic either, but when I know I'm paying for the repairs, i like to find out what I am paying for, I don't just leave all to the mechanic and say bill me for it.

 

Trust me, needless tests happen alot more than you think. Read this.

 

and this.

 

I try to give a recommendation, present options, and involve the patient in the solution.

just like a mechanic would.

[millerx]

In case you decided not to read the links, it is called "defensive medicine"...

 

It’s because there is financial incentive to see and churn through as many patients as humanly, or in some cases inhumanely, possible...and ...Part of it is placating the patient, another part is defensive medicine (”the common perception among docs is that it’s far easier to defend oneself in court using the solid facts of test results than to explain why a test was NOT ordered”)...

Edited July 27, 2010 by millerx