One of the basic principles of our extensive health care discussion has been that we don’t let people die in the streets in 21st century America. Treatment first, payment second.
The Republicans are out to challenge that assumption. The Boston Globe reported today that proof of citizenship will be required for poor people to obtain health care from 1 July. Emergency care is still covered under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
Immigration laws should be enforced — what they should say is a separate discussion — but once people get to this country they should be treated like human beings. Locking the hospital doors to, for example, a seven year old brought here illegally by their parents who develops hepatitis, defies common decency and common sense. Untreated diseases spread. Sadly, the Republicans pawned both of those qualities to raise the $272 billion they have spent so far in Iraq, and the $2.8 trillion they have added to our national debt since Bush Jr. took office.
this BS policy has the potential to make some of our worse pandemic fears come true. S, good job republicans when some immigrant with a fever that doesn’t go away and won’t go to the hospital infects a larger population we can all say welcome to America.
Emergency care is still covered under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
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Sadly, this means very little on the ground. As anyone who works in health care of human services will tell you, one of the biggest barriers is often getting people to come in for care in the first place. For immigrants–even those who are here entirely legally, the fear of being “turned in” or grilled on citizenship status is often a huge barrier, particularly for those who aren’t entirely clear on the laws for reasons of language, misunderstanding of the political system, or just not being a policy wonk.
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This may well lead to more immigrants dying of treatable diseases. It’s that simple. People can talk all they want about waiting one’s turn at the border or what it means to be here “illegally,” but at it’s heart, this is a disucssion of people’s lives.