Bajatripper
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Free Medical Coverage for Illegal Immigrants?
Just heard a public service announcement on the radio in which we the public were informed that immigrants, no matter what their immigration status,
were entitled to medical attention should they need it and that such coverage wouldn't have any effect on their immigration status.
The most interesting thing about it is that the announcement was on the radio here, in La Paz. So, there you have it, pilgrims. Illegal immigrants in
Mexico are ENTITLED to free medical coverage, should the need arise. Sounds like this Mexican government is a lot further along to that despised road
to a communist/socialist state than some have thought.
Who'da thunk?
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BajaBruno
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The day we left to drive home from La Paz last year, I came down with a double ear infection. There was no way I wanted to drive 900 miles on that
road in misery. I went to the local clinic and paid $4 to see an MD (waiting time 5 minutes on a Saturday morning), who did a routine exam and gave
me a bag full of meds that cost me $11. No one asked to see my tourist card. The MD’s education was totally paid by the taxpayers, and to return the
favor, he was committed to work in a rural (or suburban) clinic for two years. My little problem was easy for him.
Had I been a traveler in the US, I would have gone to an emergency room, waited for maybe 6+ hours, been charged $500+, and been sent on my way with
the same meds, only they would have cost $160.
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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Bajatripper
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaBruno
The MD’s education was totally paid by the taxpayers, and to return the favor, he was committed to work in a rural (or suburban) clinic for two
years. |
Good post, BajaBruno. It gives those of us living on a fixed income hope that we won't have to die in an emergency room somewhere.
One of the things I really like about the Mexican higher education system is the requirement (in some, don't know how many, fields of study) to do
that type of social service.
As you know, this is the way that many rural places, such as Santa Rosalillita, get doctors and school teachers. The feeling is that society as a
whole helped supplement their education, so they should have to give something in return. While I have known school teachers who didn't like where
they were posted, they usually admitted that they left a better, more rounded person when their time was up.
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Bajahowodd
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Tongue in Cheek?
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
Sounds like this Mexican government is a lot further along to that despised road to a communist/socialist state than some have thought.
Who'da thunk? |
Most of the industrialized world has implemented some form of free medical care. Too bad that the US is basically run by for profit corporate types. I
just think that being able to obtain treatment when ill is more a right than a privilege. There are plenty of other venues where folks may argue about
the role of government versus the free market. But when folks are sick, possibly critically ill, they should not be turned away or forced into
bankruptcy because of it. JMHO
[Edited on 7-16-2010 by Bajahowodd]
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Woooosh
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
Sounds like this Mexican government is a lot further along to that despised road to a communist/socialist state than some have thought.
Who'da thunk? |
Most of the industrialized world has implemented some form of free medical care. Too bad that the US is basically run by for profit corporate types. I
just think that being able to obtain treatment when ill is more a right than a privilege. There are plenty of other venues where folks may argue about
the role of government versus the free market. But when folks are sick, possibly critically ill, they should not be turned away or forced into
bankruptcy because of it. JMHO
[Edited on 7-16-2010 by Bajahowodd] |
so just drop your health insurance coverage and walk into the emergency room uninsured like everyone else in SoCal. You'll be treated like an
outcast- but you'll be treated for free on us taxpayers dime. 
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
Good post, BajaBruno. It gives those of us living on a fixed income hope that we won't have to die in an emergency room somewhere.
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Really? Why???? What is assurance?
| Quote: |
As you know, this is the way that many rural places, such as Santa Rosalillita, get doctors and school teachers. The feeling is that society as a
whole helped supplement their education, so they should have to give something in return. |
Indeed, true. UABC is the basis of their education and largess.
| Quote: | | While I have known school teachers who didn't like where they were posted, they usually admitted that they left a better, more rounded person when
their time was up. |
It must be nice to be the product of a socialist program that helps the people. I have benefited from this here.
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Bajahowodd
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If That Was Really True
First off, a previous post talked about the distinction of receiving almost immediate care versus waiting half a day. That said, mi esposa lost her
job last year, and while offered COBRA, didn't really think that the $800 per month premium was all that attractive. Especially since their was no
income available to pay for it. One of the under reported weaknesses of COBRA is that although whoever you may be, the costs are based on the quality
(and therefore, the costs) of the underlying program. So, if one is unemployed, it is actually inimical to have had a top tier health plan before you
lost your job.
So, two months out, an emergency occurred. There had been an obvious calculated risk of finding another job with benefits ahead of any health
issues; especially when relatively young and healthy that did not pan out. Off to the ER. Six hours of diagnostic, and two nights in the hospital. No
invasive procedures. Bulk of the treatment consisted of IVs. Bill: $18,000. So, Mr. Woooosh, if we were living on the street, in our car, or sponging
off friends or relatives, the hospital bill, as ridiculous as it was, would have disappeared. Problem is that we own a home. Have any idea how many
communications have gone back and forth on this? How about a 10 minute CT scan that cost $6,000? Anyway, this issue is not as simple as some folks
would make it seem. Alas, medical care providers, including hospitals build in their breakage on the bill. So, for every person who seemingly walks
after getting "free" medical care, there will be someone like us, who will face an outrageous charge to make up the difference. Health care providers
have contracts with the insurers. That CT scan I mentioned would have probably been considered paid in full when a health carrier paid $1600.
I know I'm getting long- winded here, but in my opinion, in a more perfect world, there would be a choice between opting for government sponsored care
and buying up to what some may perceive to be quality care. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
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BajaBruno
Super Nomad
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Bajahowodd, the disparity between Mexican costs and US costs is amazing. Early last year when Alix and I were married in Acapulco, my brother-in-law
broke his hip after falling on a sidewalk crack. He had surgery there after all the usual tests, spent 7 days in the hospital in a large private room
with a 24-hour nurse sitting by his side, and left with a $25,000 bill.
A few months later, I had cervical surgery in San Francisco, spent 3 days in a crowded, noisy room of the hospital and left with a $180,000 bill.
It's hard to see how that difference is justified.
On a related note, 2 years ago Alix studied at a university in Paris on a student visa and was given access to the state health care. MD's had
offices on nearly every block and the cost to see a specialist was never more than about $30 Euros. Maybe less--I don't remember exactly what they
reimbursed her, but the cost was minimal.
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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Bajahowodd
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Thanx, Bruno. The sad fact is that after all was as said and done, the so-called health care reform package that was signed into law was soooooo short
of the goal. I just cannot grasp how it is that the vast majority of folks in the US just don't realize that virtually all of the BS that emanates
from the so- called Republican party is merely pandering to the corporate interests that make billions of dollars a year from gouging the unwitting
American public.
That's mainly why I'm so encouraged when I see someone post here that describes a wonderful situation where affordable and quality healthcare was
received.
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