Help for Maryland Hospitals Rests on Reporting Immigrants
Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at 04:32AM
TheSpook
The federal government will reimburse Maryland
hospitals $1.3 million annually for the emergency treatment of illegal
immigrants -- if hospitals question patients on their legal status and
photocopy their citizenship documents under a rule that goes into
effect Sept. 1. Critics fear that the policy will turn hospital clerks
into immigration agents, scare immigrants away from seeking health care
and create more red tape for hospitals. Congress passed legislation
last year to provide $250 million annually over the next four years to
reimburse hospitals nationally that treat illegal immigrants. Hospitals
have sought reimbursement for years to cover the cost of providing
medical care to uninsured illegal immigrants. [more ]
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