Cost of Human Life V/s Value of Human Life - US: Health of Illegal Immigrants is Too Costly

OBAMA’S DOWNGRADE – The recent dip in United States’ credit ratings may have just found one of its many reasons. The rising cost to look after the public health is one of those many reasons. The biggest irony is the fact that illegal immigrants are availing these services due to which genuine taxpayers are at a loss.

THE DOWNGRADE – Democratic personalities have invented a very interesting term to depict the mentioned dip in credit ratings by the Standard & Poor’s credit-rating organization, which however wasn’t used as effectively as first expected: The Tea Party Downgrade. Moreover, S&P is of the opinion that United States, as a nation is overspending and the lack the political will to bring it to a halt. This Tea Party was formed to let the White House know that it is time!

STATISTICS – An estimated 20% to 40% of the health care costs, which are uncompensated for, are incurred on undocumented immigrants. This may seem staggering; however, the actual figure may still be unknown. The encouragement is on the part of the long standing medical ethics in which clinics and hospitals don’t ask for a patient’s legal status ahead of a check-up. In Dallas, hospitals that they cannot simply decline to attend a patient for their inability to pay.

CONDITION OF STATES – In states such as Texas, a staggering $1.3 billion was incurred on health care plans back in 2006. However, another ironical fact revealed is that most of these illegal immigrants are young and healthy and don’t require as much health care as first thought. Since doctors and hospitals do not ask for the legitimacy of a patient’s residence in the country, the figures relating to the health care costs are subjective.

INSURED AGAINST UNINSURED – It was estimated back in 2005 by The Pew Hispanic Center a huge 59% of the illegal immigrants to the United States are uninsured and hospitals bear the cost of emergency treatments, if any. The same figure for legal immigrants and the citizens are 25% and 14% respectively. Across the United States, a surprising 47 million people don’t have any health insurance plan, which is a straight 30% rise in the last three decades.

DISEASE SPREAD – A vast majority of hospitals and clinics believe that medical care cannot be denied to a citizen as the unhealthy state might engulf the population gradually. Many law and policy makers also believe that non-citizens should simply be denied of any medical attention. However, on ethical grounds, medical professionals do not wish to deny any one whatever health care possible on any grounds; even if it deals with the legal status of a patient.