Ariz. may require hospitals to check citizenship

[99socks Profile]

PHOENIX – Republican lawmakers want to widen Arizona's illegal immigration crackdown with a proposal to require hospitals to check on whether patients are in the country legally, causing outrage among medical professionals who fear becoming de facto immigration agents under the law.

The medical industry ripped the bill Monday as it was scheduled for a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Doctors envisioned scenarios in which immigrants with contagious diseases such as tuberculosis would stay home from the clinic or hospital and put themselves and the public at a grave health risk.

"This is making us into a police state that will try to catch people when they are sick," said George Pauk, a retired doctor with an organization called Physicians for a National Health Program. "Do we want to stop sick people from coming in for health care?"

Arizona is the first Legislature to take up such a measure amid a national push in conservative states to crack down on illegal immigration, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Arizona lawmakers ignited the debate a year ago when they passed a bill that required local police, while enforcing other laws, to question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally. A judge later put that provision on hold.

The discussion about the bill comes just days after an illegal immigrant in Texas with a banana-size tumor in her spine said she was ousted from her hospital because of her immigration status. She later found another hospital to get treatment.

Supporters say the hospital bill is necessary tool to fight illegal immigration at a time when hospitals lose tens of millions of dollars treating illegal immigrants in emergency rooms.

Senate President Russell Pearce, a Mesa Republican who was chief sponsor of last year's immigration law, says the hospitals bill is part of a broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration. The hospitals bill wouldn't bar people from getting care, but it would put the onus on hospitals to "do due diligence," Pearce said. "We're going to enforce our laws without apology."

Added Pearce: "It's the law. It's a felony to (aid and) abet. We're going to enforce the law without apology."

Other sponsors of the bill did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Discussion of the bill in the committee was put on hold late Monday until a later date.

The legislation, known as Senate Bill 1405, would require hospitals, when admitting nonemergency cases, to confirm that a person seeking care is a U.S. citizen or in the country legally. In emergency cases where the patient isn't here legally, the hospital would be required to call immigration authorities after the treatment is done. Hospitals in non-emergency situations would also be required to contact federal immigration authorities, but they would have more apparent discretion about whether to treat illegal immigrants.

Opponents say the bill could pose serious health risks to those here legally and illegally. They believe the threat of deportation would keep some people from seeking health care for everything from emergency situations to measures such as vaccinations, potentially leading to preventable deaths. They also said it would increase hospitals' already-strained workload.

"You are now turning medical professionals into full-time INS agents," said Democratic state Sen. Steve Gallardo, speaking at a news conference Monday. "Doctors that should be working to help treat ill patients are now turning into ICE agents."

Nicole Russell is the mother of a 3-year-old daughter named Kira, and she could not envision what it would be like for a parent to decide whether or not to take their child to the hospital for fear of being reported to the authorities.

"I can't imagine putting the health care of my daughter in the hands of politicians," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110215/ap_on_re_us/us_immigrants_hospitals

[Newdawnrising Profile]

[99socks Profile]

Here's a scenario from a horror movie....

...a pandemic begins amongst an illegal immigrant community...

[Newdawnrising Profile]

Here's a scenario from a horror movie....

...a pandemic begins amongst an illegal immigrant community...

What are you getting at socko? Zombie Apocalypse or Pnuemonic Black Death?

[Poe2you Profile]

Better change the Hippocratic Oath then.

What the F%*& is happening to America

[Kingdraco Profile]

illegals who can't afford to pay the bill when they go into a hospital,more hand outs to people who don't even have citizenship? it should be a protocol at hospitals.

Yeah,I have to ask also...What is america coming to?

[Stratafire Profile]

If the digital citizenship portion of the ID can be made with a "throw away" master key, which always changes the user code for each access (to prevent duplications and external reading), and the setup is driven by the end user, not any server, or government oversight for the received temporary code to the central server banks, then I can see it being a viable system, problem is (as I have learned awhile back) anything "Binary" can be broken "ANYTHING"..

Want a simple proof?...

Try this using your computer calculator, for that matter "any" calculator on any device..

-1 - +1 = ? or +1 - -1 = ? The answer "should" be zero (0) .. but what do you get?..

This is a flaw, a major flaw of the hardwired features of the language used called "boolean algebra" , and because of it, this is a permanent "back door" to all CPU based systems that use boolean algebra as the bases for it's operations...

All CPU based systems are completely open to any outside attack, as the mathematical portion of the CPU's logic system, cannot deal with this simple, easy, logic problem..

[Bleever Profile]

Tuff...tuff subject. I am soo pro human. However, have you checked Mexico's immigration's laws? Now i fully agree we should take care of everyone, however, the policy makers have made it very clear...that if you come to america we will support you and pay you $ to live here based on the average persons tax paying dollars. This subject is so complicated. The fed has ZERO business regulating our health care system..its a state right. PERIOD. If an illegal alien (fucking hate that term) is pregnant and hops the border 30 minutes before she gives birth than that child/baby is an american citizen

If the Gov didnt tax us 40-55% of our earnings do you think ppl wouldn't help the poor?. This issue is a response to the Feds...c'mon ppl..we cant keep paying for everything...my God we finance the world and give Israel an average of 10 million dollars a day since their inception. Our debt is now equal to our whole country's earnings...we are so fucked. The states are afraid of the capricious arbitrary policies of the Fed..the Fed who will lose 30-45% of their authority over the next 4-5 years...fact. It's the United States of america...not the united fed

[Epicfailure Profile]

If the digital citizenship portion of the ID can be made with a "throw away" master key, which always changes the user code for each access (to prevent duplications and external reading), and the setup is driven by the end user, not any server, or government oversight for the received temporary code to the central server banks, then I can see it being a viable system, problem is (as I have learned awhile back) anything "Binary" can be broken "ANYTHING"..

Want a simple proof?...

Try this using your computer calculator, for that matter "any" calculator on any device..

-1 - +1 = ? or +1 - -1 = ? The answer "should" be zero (0) .. but what do you get?..

This is a flaw, a major flaw of the hardwired features of the language used called "boolean algebra" , and because of it, this is a permanent "back door" to all CPU based systems that use boolean algebra as the bases for it's operations...

All CPU based systems are completely open to any outside attack, as the mathematical portion of the CPU's logic system, cannot deal with this simple, easy, logic problem..

you are a smart guy, I don't always agree with you.... but I recognize that you are smart.

to comment on the article, I don't see where in the constitution it says that people have to check citizenship at hospitals, I know doctors take (earlier mentioned) Hippocratic oath to help anyone in need and that includes illegal citizens...

so I am going to vote in opposition of this, it's not the hospitals fault or duty to check these ID's for citizenship......can't believe I said that because of my extreme stance of illegal immigration, but I did because it doesn't seem right.

[Bleever Profile]

btw...bullshit thread ppl..before you start whining...its not fair...boo hoo...this is a fed issue..anyone feel like debating?...power to the ppl...cuz ppl will take care of ppl..,.ya follow?