Hospital Care for Undocumented Immigrants in Four Border States Cost $200 Million in 2000, Study Says

Undocumented immigrants cost hospitals in the four U.S. states on the Mexican border over $200 million in unreimbursed costs in 2000, according to a study released Sept. 26, the Washington Times reports (Seper, Washington Times, 9/27). The study, commissioned by the U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition, a committee of elected officials from 24 border counties, and conducted by Florida-based consulting firm MGT of America, examined 77 hospitals in border counties in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas (Bustos/Carroll, Gannet/Tucson Citizen/Arizona Republic, 9/26). According to the study, in 2000 California lost $79.6 million in care for undocumented immigrants, Texas lost $74 million, Arizona lost $30 million and New Mexico lost almost $6 million. The study also found that ambulance providers in the four states lost $13 million, the Cox/Contra Costa Times reports (Malone, Cox/Contra Costa Times, 9/27). The study examined only the cost of emergency room services; if it had included ambulance fees, emergency room physician fees or follow-up care, the cost to the hospitals would have been around $300 million (Gannett/Tucson Citizen/Arizona Republic, 9/26). The study also found that almost 25% of uncompensated care at border hospitals comes from emergency services provided for undocumented immigrants and that a "majority of the cases" concerned undocumented immigrants who live and work in the United States but do not have health insurance (Cox/Contra Costa Times, 9/27). Researchers used a "complicated statistical model, conducted interviews with hospital administrators and surveyed 77 hospitals and 82 emergency medical transportation providers" in the four states to create their cost estimate. They said that "reliable data are impossible to obtain" because of a 1996 federal law that requires hospitals to treat undocumented immigrants and precludes hospitals from inquiring about patients' immigrant status (Gannet/Tucson Citizen/Arizona Republic, 9/26).

The Bill
Several border-state members of Congress on Sept. 26 introduced a bill, the Local Emergency Health Services Reimbursement Act of 2002, that calls for $200 million in federal funds annually for the next four years for "states, localities, hospitals and others that provide federally-required, but uncompensated-for, emergency health treatment to undocumented aliens," according to a release from bill sponsor Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) (McClain, Arizona Daily Star, 9/27). Under the bill, the 17 states with the most undocumented immigrants would share $134 million and the six states with the most apprehensions of undocumented immigrants would share $66 million, the Washington Times reports. "No one denies that there is a moral and legal obligation to provide care, but the question remains on who is responsible for paying the bill," Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) said. "The obligation here falls on the federal government," Sen. John. McCain (R-Ariz.) said, adding, "The states do not control the border, the federal government does and it has failed to do so -- causing a financial and human crisis" (Washington Times, 9/27).