Health_Care_Reform

Introduction The impact of illegal immigrants on health Care economics in the United States is a high cost to the government due to the large amount of illegal immigrants on Medicaid. Providing health care to illegal immigrants is one factor that affects the high cost of health care insurance for the citizens of the United States. This is an issue for the United States government that affects our economy. Team C will describe different topics with summaries, research and identify possible economic solutions that may help reduce the high cost of health care. Description of the issue Description of illegal immigrants on health Care economics in the United States and the impact that illegal immigrants have on health care economics in the United States goes in many directions as it affects many areas of the economy. The controversies of whether illegal’s should be allowed to become legal and live in the United States, receive free government health insurance and other state benefits, and what the new health reform should consist pertaining to illegal immigrants is the number one health care problem today. Health Care Expenditures of Immigrants in the United States The research article looked at the cost of health care expenditures for immigrants compared to United States born citizens. The assumption at the beginning of the article is that immigrants are putting an increased burden on the health care system in the United States. The data was collected on national basis using a computer-based survey. Following the analysis of the data collected in the research study it concluded that the citizens make up a larger amount of the health care expenditures compared to the immigrants. It was found that total of the United States health care expenditures were made up of 7.9% from immigrants and 90% from the citizens. One factor that plays into the lower expenditures for immigrants is that the immigrants have decreased access to health care insurance, which also decreases the use of health care services. Immigrants are required to wait five years after entering the country before receiving government health insurance however they can receive emergency care if needed. Because the majority of the citizens have some form of health insurance it enables them to access the health care system more readily. In comparing citizens with immigrants it is a fact that the health care expenditures are not burdened by immigrant use. Rising health care costs put focus on illegal immigrants. This article is talking about how much public assistance that illegal immigrants should receive. Even with them not being able to receive help with public assistance they can still receive emergency medical care at hospitals. The current amount of people that are uninsured in United States looks like the following, Adults whom are uninsured, United States Citizens 14%, Legal immigrants 25%, illegal immigrants 59%, and children U. S citizens 9%, citizens whose parents are legal immigrant 13%, foreign-born children of legal immigrants 25%, citizens with illegal immigrant parents 25%, and foreign born children with illegal immigrant parents 53% (Wolf, 2008). As can be seen there are many illegal immigrant citizens that are waiting to get treated until they have to go to hospital because of the fear of being deported back to the original country. Some of the illegal immigrants that seek medical care will go to free clinics or community medical centers. This problem is becoming a political problem all over the United States by costing more money in not only health care but also in education than the immigrants pay in taxes (Wolf, 2008). The dark side of illegal immigration, Immigration Facts, Figures and Addendum The impact in the United States on the health care of illegal immigrants is an issue that is being felt in numerous areas. The areas that are feeling the impact are in crime, education and health care and many others. The illegal immigrants brought people with them that need schooling; they are a less fortunate group of people that are unskillful and cause a great deal of problems which they inherited that need to be addressed. This article reports that nearly “10 billion illegal immigrants that have not finished school have entered the United States”. (January, 2011 ) While America with its problems practically in the same areas, find it hard to support our own and meet the needs of other natives that come here. When seeing how much Mexicans are being paid trying to support their families, it is not hard to see why they are making such an enormous escape to the United States. We know everyone wants to come to the U.S. to live the American dream. It has been reported that the Mexican wages are $5.00 a day and when they come here they make that much (at least) an hour a day. Research helps others to understand why Mexicans keep their money in America’s Bank, it was reported that Mexicans money is devalued in Mexico. Reports states that the “illegal immigrants send $6 to $8 billion of dollars home to their families back in Mexico”.( January,2011 ) Immigrants and their children that are born here come to the U.S. make up more than half of the uninsured medical health population which has increased in the last 2 decades or more. They cannot afford medical care in America and yet hospitals and doctors have pledged to take care of them and it is by law they have to. For reasons such as this, has caused hospitals to close and some have bankrupts “because of federally-mandated programs requiring free emergency room services to illegal aliens” (January, 2011). They also come to America and have their babies here and that makes their children legal Americans which qualifies them for the same rights and services as anyone else that live here in America. It was reported in the state of Colorado that they received immigrants that had babies and paid an estimated million and millions of dollars to hospitals and physician for having their children here in the U.S. The cost was broken down to how much they paid for the births and for each child that was born here illegally. Medicaid paid for those services which was emergency funds for hospital and physicians. Right away the babies became citizens of the United States, and were legally entitled to those funds and services. The impact of illegal immigrants has been affected in the United States in many areas in our economy. Immigrants are entitled to health care in the U.S and now it is our problem to try and take care of them. Everyone has a part to play in, no one is excluded. They have forms gangs and the crime has put a burden on America that cannot be ignored. America has made provisions for and set funding aside up in the billions of dollars, and has enforced programs for situations in areas to support and handle these unsettling mishaps. Employers are trying to make it possible for part-time and even permanent work immigrants as even other countries. This is a heavy burden that America is yet trying to cope with. The cost is a very high price and a long way yet to go. Possible Solution The possible solutions that will help from Illegal Immigrants running up or health care bills are adopting measures that will collect information on illegal immigrants or undocumented aliens. Instead of sending aid to foreign countries to help them with their medical needs put that money toward the providers treating the illegal immigrants. U.S. Medical student provide community service on the illegal immigrants to obtain a way from costing the government money in health care (Glueck, & Cihak, 2005). By collecting information on these illegal immigrants the medical costs can be cut, and they will have to enroll to become a U.S. Citizen. This will make them have to pay some of the taxes that go toward the health care in the United States the immigrants check in periodically to make sure that they are doing what needs to be done. Instead of sending money out to other countries so that they can have medical care put that money to the providers providing the services for these illegal immigrants. The government needs to stop the amount of illegal immigrants that have come into the United States and send them back to their country of origin. Medical students volunteer their time and treat the illegal immigrants will not charge the government any more money on unpaid medical bills that arise from illegal immigrants seeking medical care. This gives the medical student the experience of working with new medical knowledge and the illegal immigrants the care that the immigrant’s need, so in the end this will benefit everyone involved. Conclusion Overall the concern with illegal immigrants receiving health care within the United States does play a large factor in the high cost of health care for the government and citizens. Throughout researching illegal immigrants who are receiving Medcaid health care insurance results have shown that there are many families and individuals on government assistant programs. The percentage of illegal immigrants having health care and the percentage of citizens receiving health care is close in comparison. Team C has found solutions that would reduce the high cost of health care for illegal immigrants and the citizens of the United States. References Carter, R. (November 16, 2009). The dark side of illegal immigration, Immigration Facts, Figures and Addendum Retrieved on January15, 2011 from http://www.usillegalaliens.com/immigration _facts_figures_and_addendum.html Glueck, M.D., M. A., & Cihak, M.D, R. J. (2005). High Cost of Medical Care for Illegal Immigrants. Newsmax.com, (), Retrieved on January 15, 2011 from http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/12/26/170334.shtml Mohanty, S.A., Woolhandler, S., Himmelstein, D.U., Pati, S., Carrasquillo, O., & Bor, D.H. (2005).Health care expenditures of immigrants in the United States: a nationally representative analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 95(8). Retrieved on January 12, 2011 from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/95/8/1431 Wolf, R. (2008, January 22). Rising health care costs put focus on illegal immigrants. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-immigrant-healthcare_N.htm