Illegal aliens, public services, and the MSM

Proceeding from non-worst to worst, here are three stories about illegal immigrants getting public services.

First, Julia Preston offers "Texas Hospitals Reflect Debate on Immigration". It tells the tale of two hospitals: one that inquires about immigration status, one that does not.
...In California, hospitals spent at least $1.02 billion last year on health care for illegal immigrants that was not reimbursed by federal or state programs, according to federal government estimates. Hospital officials there said the ailing health care system was being pushed to its limit.

"Emergency rooms and hospital doctors are forced to subsidize the lack of immigration enforcement by the federal government," said C. Duane Dauner, president of the California Hospital Association. "It amounts to an unfunded mandate for us to treat everybody."

California received $66 million in federal money in 2005, the first year of a four-year national program to help pay for emergency care for illegal immigrants. But it was "not even a down payment" on the total cost, Mr. Dauner said. With more than 1.4 million of California's residents uninsured and more than half of California's hospitals operating in the red, Mr. Dauner warned that care for illegal immigrants could tip some hospitals into bankruptcy.

...While Texas border hospitals often get "anchor babies" - children of Mexican women who dart across the border to give birth to an American citizen - most illegal immigrants who go to major hospitals in Texas can show that they have been living here for years, said Ernie Schmid, policy director at the Texas Hospital Association...

...The largest group of illegal immigrant patients is pregnant women, hospital figures show. Contrary to popular belief here, their care is not paid for through local taxes. Under a 2002 amendment to federal regulations, the births are covered by federal taxes through Medicaid because their children automatically become American citizens...

...In January 2004, the JPS board of managers voted to offer its financial assistance program to all Tarrant County residents, legal or otherwise. But eight months later, with illegal immigrants starting to fill the hospital, the managers reversed course in a meeting where they agonized over their votes, the minutes show...
While the NYT article has several downsides, it does include some facts. But, their definition of "anchor babies" is quite a bit more restrictive than the way most use that term. And, what Preston forgot to ask is, "cui bono"? The answer: in addition to those who've entered illegally, all of that free healthcare is a tremendous bonus to the employers of those illegal aliens. Perhaps for her next report she could interview some of those employers on the way to the bank.

Then, John Dorschner of the Miami Herald reports on a questionable study:
Contrary to popular belief, a survey of 60 communities shows that the uninsured, Hispanics and immigrants do not overburden hospital emergency rooms.

...What's more, foes of immigration often complain that newcomers place a huge burden on America's health care system...

...But after surveying 46,000 people in 60 communities, author Peter Cunningham found that the highest ER usage was in Cleveland and Boston, cities with relatively low percentages of uninsured, Hispanics and immigrants...
What a "study":
The study found considerable variation in [emergency department, "ED"] use across the twelve CTS case-study sites. The average for 2003 was around 32 ED visits per 100 people for both the United States and large metropolitan areas (Exhibit 1). This varied from a high of almost 40 visits per 100 in Cleveland to about 21 visits in Orange County, California. Despite popular perceptions, communities with the highest levels of ED use did not necessarily have the highest numbers of uninsured, low-income, racial/ethnic minority, or immigrant residents. For example, Cleveland and Boston had the highest ED use levels among the twelve CTS sites and some of the lowest uninsurance rates, while Phoenix and Orange County had both low ED use and higher-than-average uninsurance rates in 2003. In addition, communities with the lowest ED use also tended to have a higher percentage of Hispanics and noncitizens than communities with high ED use.
AFAICT, the study doesn't look into who's exactly in the EDs. In all the areas, every person in the ED could be an illegal alien and the study could have the same results.

But, wait, it gets even worse. Andrew Becker of the Contra Costa Times provides yet another data point that Lysenkoism has been reborn as "liberalism":
More than half of California's K-12 public education students enrolled in free or reduced-price meal programs last year, the first time that the majority of youngsters were approved for assistance, according to state and federal officials.

California was one of a dozen states where the majority of students were certified for such programs, said Jean Daniel, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman.

In Contra Costa, almost a third of all students signed up for the federally subsidized lunch and breakfast programs, the third school year in a row the county has seen an increase in the percentage of students. Nearly seven out of 10 Pittsburg students enrolled, the largest percentage in Contra Costa, and an increase for the fifth year in a row. Roughly six out of 10 West Contra Costa students registered, according to the state Department of Education.

"That's what schools are combating -- the impact of poverty," said Tom Tesler, director of categorical programs for Antioch schools, where almost 40 percent of students are enrolled in meal assistance. "The overlying factor that no one argues with is why students perform poorly is poverty. The socio-economic condition makes it difficult for them to do well in school."

State and federal officials, food-policy advocates and scholars point to a variety of factors for the increase, such as higher costs of living and stagnant wages, improved efforts to enroll students and changing views that school-meal programs are an important tool for families.
Nowhere in the article does the "reporter" bother asking whether many of those students might actually be citizens of other countries. Now, that's "reporting."

Comments

""That's what schools are combating -- the impact of poverty."

Yes, the poverty of other countries, who are exporting their problem to us.

Maybe hospitals in high illegal immigrant areas should declare one area of the hospital as sovereign Mexican territory. Therefore anyone having a child there is just having a Mexican citizen. :-)

Since SF has offered everything free including medical care that seems to be the place to head for. All of the local sheriff's can now buy all the street bums a one way ticket to Ca and be rid of them forever. I'll recommend it to out local sheriff since we have a seasonal problem with life long street people.