NPR Examines Hospitals That Pay for Long-Term Care of Uninsured, Undocumented Immigrants
Paying for long-term care for uninsured, undocumented immigrants has become an increasingly important issue for hospitals, as illustrated by a case where a Florida hospital returned a man to his home country after his medical expenses reached $2 million, NPR's "All Things Considered" reports. Luis Jimenez entered the United States as an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala to work as a farm laborer in Florida, and over three years, the Martin Memorial Medical Center provided him $2 million in treatment for severe head trauma after he was involved in a car accident. According to NPR, federal law requires hospitals to treat "badly injured" patients regardless of their health insurance or immigration status, and Medicaid provides "limited" coverage of emergency treatment of undocumented immigrants, but not for long-term care. A Florida circuit court judge ruled that Martin Memorial "had every right" to return Jimenez to Guatemala despite objections from his relatives in Florida. JoNel Newman, an attorney at the migrant advocacy group Florida Legal Services, said deporting or repatriating foreign nationals is "exclusively a power" of the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service, adding that she is "concerned" Jimenez's case will encourage hospitals nationwide to act similarly in other cases. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) has requested federal studies of the issue and intends to draft legislation based on the findings, NPR reports. According to NPR, treating uninsured, undocumented immigrants costs hospitals nationwide about $2 billion per year. The segment includes comments from George Bovie, legal counsel for Martin Memorial (Tomlinson, "All Things Considered," NPR, 7/28). The full segment is available online in RealPlayer.
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