This'll "frost your cookies!"

[azsnowman]

Well.....here's a story that'll *frost your cookies*

Sergio Bustos
Gannett News Service
Nov. 26, 2003 12:00 AM


WASHINGTON - The historic Medicare bill that won final congressional approval Tuesday includes a provision that gives hospitals at least $1 billion over the next four years to help cover the spiraling costs of providing emergency services for undocumented immigrants.

The measure is welcome news to hospitals near the U.S.-Mexican border, where undocumented immigrants ring up millions in unpaid medical bills.

Under the legislation, the $1 billion will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to hospitals nationwide. But the funding formula favors states like Arizona, California and Texas, which have large numbers of undocumented immigrants.

Texas, for example, may be reimbursed $200 million over the four-year period. Arizona could get $160 million.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., played a key role in securing the $1 billion. Kyl used his influence as a member of the small group of lawmakers who negotiated the final version of the Medicare bill.

"Of course, this reimbursement does not fully cover all of the costs imposed on our citizens by a failure to enforce our immigration laws, but it is a huge step forward," Kyl said.

The $1 billion will, indeed, go a long way to alleviate a longstanding and frustrating problem for dozens of hospitals near the U.S.-Mexican border, which stretches from Southern California to east Texas.

A recent study found that illegal immigrants racked up $190 million in unpaid bills at 77 border hospitals in 2000.

The tab was especially high in San Diego, El Paso and Pima County. In El Paso, costs topped $30 million. In Pima County, they exceeded $24 million.

"This is an important symbol of Congress' growing awareness of the problems we face along our porous borders," Kyl said.

Under federal law, hospitals cannot ask about a patient's income or immigration status, and they cannot turn away anyone seeking medical help.

Kyl spent the past week fighting off numerous attempts by other lawmakers to remove the $1 billion.

Some House members, led by Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a critic of U.S. immigration policy, voted against the Medicare bill solely because of Kyl's provision.

Tancredo called it a "billion-dollar boon for illegal aliens," saying the provision will encourage more illegal immigration to the United States.




Dennis

[azsnowman]

Here's a link I think that'll help fight this nonsense!

http://www.fairus.org/


Dennis

[blizzard]

Thanks for the link, this is utterly flippin' ridiculous. Maybe I should go into Canada for Health care, ya think that will get me very far? Heck no, we must be the only country in the world to provide such welfare to immigrants. Illegal ones at that.

[hunter84]

copy from dennis post above

"Tancredo called it a "billion-dollar boon for illegal aliens," saying the provision will encourage more illegal immigration to the United States. "

I'm not sure how this can be taken as a boom for illegal immigrants. If they are already coming across the border for medical care what difference will it make to them if the hospital gets reimbursed or not.[/b]

[azsnowman]

Here's another story I found, it's over a month old, but VERY good, just shows ya what's going on near and around our border with Mexico!

2 border vigilantes go to jail in capture
Daniel Gonz½lez
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 8, 2003 08:30 PM

Two men received jail sentences Wednesday for illegally hunting down undocumented immigrants along the southern Arizona border with Mexico.

Human rights advocates, prosecutors and Mexican officials hailed the sentencing as a blow against border vigilantes, but the leader of a citizens border patrol group said the case has galvanized a group of people in the Yuma area to take up arms and patrol the border themselves.

A Yuma County Superior Court judge in Yuma sentenced Matthew Paul Hoffman, 23, of Yuma to 120 days in jail, and Alexander David Dumas, 26, of Big Bear Lake, Calif., to 30 days in jail. Both men also were placed on three years of probation and ordered to perform 360 hours of community service.

Hoffman and Dumas each pleaded guilty in September to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit unlawful imprisonment. According to an indictment, Hoffman, Dumas and a third man went out on July 31 and confronted a group of six undocumented immigrants in Yuma County and at gunpoint handcuffed them until the U.S. Border Patrol arrived.

The group of undocumented immigrants, who reportedly crossed the Colorado River, included two women, three children and the 16-year-old smuggler. Charges against the third man, Martin Hoffman Jr., 25, of Yuma are pending.

Armed citizens groups have patrolled the border in Cochise County for several years, but this was the first time armed citizens had gone out looking for undocumented immigrants in Yuma County, said Yuma County Attorney Patricia Orozco.

"It's just a very dangerous place, and I don't want to see people hurt, and that's what I fear will happen that if they do go down: We will see people hurt," Orozco said.

Beatriz Chavez, a spokeswoman for the Mexican consulate in Yuma, praised the sentencing.

"To see someone pointing a gun at you is very scary, and they were really defenseless because they were just women and children," Chavez said.

Human rights groups and Mexican officials have asked U.S. authorities to investigate the border militias, fearing the armed groups have added to an already volatile situation along the border that will lead to violence.

Rev. Robin Hoover, president of Humane Borders, a nonprofit organization that builds water stations in the desert for undocumented immigrants, said he hopes Wednesday's sentencing will discourage people from resorting to vigilante activity along the border.

"It sends the right message . . . that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated," Hoover said.

But Chris Simcox, founder of the Civil Homeland Defense, a citizens group based in Tombstone in Cochise County, condemned the sentencing.

"Something is just not right with this situation. The only thing I think they went too overboard was on the handcuffing," said Simcox, who also publishes the weekly Tombstone Tumbleweed. "They potentially saved the lives of those kids, and they were only doing what our president has asked us, which is to be vigilant and to report suspicious illegal activities to the proper authorities."

Simcox said he is in the process of training a group of more than 100 people from Yuma who were galvanized by the charges against the three vigilantes to patrol the border on their own.

Simcox said over the past year his group has turned over more than 2,000 undocumented immigrants to the Border Patrol.


Dennis

[azsnowman]

I loved this part!! After all, isn't this what President Bush said after Sept 11th?

"They potentially saved the lives of those kids, and they were only doing what our president has asked us, which is to be vigilant and to report suspicious illegal activities to the proper authorities."


Dennis

[wx247]

This is a serious situation, but I had to when I read "This'll 'frost your cookies!' ".

[StormCrazyIowan]

Exactly how I felt Garrett!! Cookies.... where??

[firefighter16]

Makes Me kind of wonder how secure our homeland realy is......

[azsnowman]

Makes Me kind of wonder how secure our homeland realy is......

"AMEN!" There are untold THOUSANDS of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border EVERY SINGLE DAY! Who's to say that Ossama's hinch men haven't snuck across the border with untold #'s of weapons of mass destruction!

Dennis

P.S. the cookies that got frosted are Oatmeal Raisin Cookies "LOL!"

[StormCrazyIowan]

MMMM Dennis, don't make me hungry!!

That IS a very unsettling thought....

[wx247]

Makes Me kind of wonder how secure our homeland realy is......

"AMEN!" There are untold THOUSANDS of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border EVERY SINGLE DAY! Who's to say that Ossama's hinch men haven't snuck across the border with untold #'s of weapons of mass destruction!

Dennis

P.S. the cookies that got frosted are Oatmeal Raisin Cookies "LOL!"

You are exactly right with that point Dennis. It is a scary thought that not many seem to want to take seriously in Washington D.C.

[Stephanie]

Part of the Homeland Security initiatives should include more $$$$$ to fund border patrols and the like. We need to be proactive with our funds rather than reactive. They are called "illegal" immigrants for a reason.

[GalvestonDuck]

I'm not surprised. I've seen it here at UTMB. People coming to get healthcare, claiming to be "citizens" of the US who "reside" down in Mexico, yet travel hundreds of miles to come "home" to get treated. They have their fake ID's, social security #"s, and birth certificates. They get on government-assistance programs (our tax dollars) to fund their housing, food, and healthcare because, although capable of working, they won't in order to not have to fill out tax forms and, God forbid, pay something back. Then they have their babies (who do get to claim citizenship since they were born here), get more foodstamps for formula, gather up a bunch of baby stuff, and then head back down across the border.

[coriolis]

In a related issue, I wonder how porous the canadian border is. Isn't it necessary to show documents when crossing? And what about the border in the west? Can people move freely across when away from checkpoints?

As far as the mexican/american border goes, I say seal it tight and restrict all movement to established checkpoints. Make 'em show documentation and turn 'em away if they don't have it.

[azsnowman]

I'm not surprised. I've seen it here at UTMB. People coming to get healthcare, claiming to be "citizens" of the US who "reside" down in Mexico, yet travel hundreds of miles to come "home" to get treated. They have their fake ID's, social security #"s, and birth certificates. They get on government-assistance programs (our tax dollars) to fund their housing, food, and healthcare because, although capable of working, they won't in order to not have to fill out tax forms and, God forbid, pay something back. Then they have their babies (who do get to claim citizenship since they were born here), get more foodstamps for formula, gather up a bunch of baby stuff, and then head back down across the border.

You took the words right outta my mouth GD........GREAT post, EVEN greater points made!


Dennis

[looks like rain]

perhaps nationalized medicine isn't that far off-ouch!!!

[azsnowman]

perhaps nationalized medicine isn't that far off-ouch!!!

Ya know actually, nationalized medicine IMO is a GREAT thing, fair treatment for ALL concerned! I've seen this system at work in most of Europe.

Dennis

[looks like rain]

well after dealing with the hmo's-i hesitatingly say "could it be worse"?--pete--

[azsnowman]

AMEN! Before I retired from the meat business, the Union I belonged to had a HMO plan, what a pain in the asp THAT was!

Dennis