P.S. Not only are we far below all those European countries with their socialized medicine in health care ranking, we are also far below them in healthy life span. (Where we rank something like 23rd in the world.)

It would be really great if people would take these facts, reported by the World Health Organization (rather than our government and the AMA) into consideration before decrying "socialized" medicine.

It comes as a shock to people when they learn that America doesn't rank #1 in much of anything among civilized countries -- or even many third-world countries -- with the exception of violence, military technology, debt, and number of citizens in prison.

Good!!!

Everyone wonders why we cant have a health care system for all Americans??? Because most of the time that person would have stayed in the hospital and we have to pay for him also. We need to take care of ourselves and if someone wants medical attention and other US citizen benefits...BECOME A LEGAL CITIZEN!!!

field theory, whos ranking is that ??? did you pull that one out of your lib a**, then why does everyone want to come to America for care . When my son was at craig hospital in Denver, there were people flying in from all over the world with spinal cord injuries, give me a break..

Ok...lets get back to the subject...

He was illegal, he was taken care of for years... over a million dollars of services, and he broke the law by being illegal.... gotta side with the hospital on this one.

If it were any other country, this patient would have been deported shortly after entering the hospital. I think his family should have been notified prior to deporting him, but he still should be deported. No other country in the world would spend 1.5 million on an illegal immigrant, so they are completely wrong in suing. Actually, no country would spend $1.5 million on their own citizens including this country, if they were unable to pay and had no insurance.

Let push this matter even further back....

Jimenez is in the current state because of vehicular accident by a drunk driver. Where is the settlement from the insurance from the drunk driver? Corporation (hospital) made a fiscal decision base upon profit/loss. In a way, they chose to refuse further treatment or they chose to subcontract their service to a Guatamala hospital, who in turn subcontract that service to his grand mother...

Hmmm, so far I have not read any place where doctors or government made any decision on behalf of the patient. Is this where our country going to.... Insurance and coporations making decisions on our lives based upon their profit/loss??? I think so, and it sure look like it is so.

Yet, many of Americans fail to see this reality happening to themselves. Instead, we choose to finger point to the fact that the patient is an illegal, the patient did not have insurance.... No, I think this can happen to any one of us. Instead fo going back to Guatamala and die, we would be shipped back to some out of sight place in USA to die. Wait, hospitals already done that. Look up patient dumping by hospitals in the homeless districts...

Boil it down to the bare bones, It is no different It is the same pattern of decision making.

I love how people tell a fact and their source... then others question where they got the info. Did you not read the post kroni3us??? They got it from WHO... here's a link, since you are unable to do your own researching.

Kronius, that's from the WHO who have done lots of studies. It's well known and accepted.

Lets push this back even further. If he was not here (ILLEGALLY) in the first place, he would never have been hit by anyone, so to hell with him and the horse he rode in on.

Let me get this straight, your argument regarding his illegal status justify any act put forth on him/her... So we can beat up the illegals, because they shouldn't be here. We should not be charged any crime for beating up the illegals, because they would not of been here in the first place...

Hmm... given your logic and tendency, I would then think that you would probably commit the crime beating up someone else, had it not been the illegal... We are probably lucky that you beat up the illegals instead of the regular population... given your tendencies.

He was apparently hit by a drunk illegal and could not sue because of course illegals carry no insurance. Now he knows how we feel. Beside where are all the illegals to help him? No donations?  

It'll be interesting to see the outcome of this - whether the jury sides with the hospital or not. If not, and they award this illegal dude his million dollars to keep caring for him, it's going to open a whole new can of worms for the healthcare of more illegals all over the country.

What's wrong with suing the drunk driver that hit him putting him in the hospital in the first place?? It was his fault anyway! I agree with the hospital, and think they should've deported him sooner than they did. As soon as he was stable, he should've been out of there.

God help us all if we now will be forced to pay for illegal immigrant medical care, when we can't even pay for our own.

And WHY isn't the insurance company of the drunk driver paying for these charges? Or Jimenez' insurance company? Or the drunk driver?

This looks to be a lawsuit designed to make the hospital pay for the care because, maybe, the other sources are exhausted or non-existent. That doesn't mean the hospital should have to foot the bill. It has already provided $1 million in care - shall we have a story on an American citizen who has been given such care? Is there one?

The hospital used the system to get this patient to a care facility in his own country. If that facility is not doing what it promised, that is the entity that should be sued.

In the middle of a national debate about how health care costs have skyrocketed in the last few years, this story points out the need for better immigration enforcement, better health care coverage, and better oversight of the whole system. This hospital extended $1 million in care probably because this patient was an illegal and didn't want the controversy. But controversy there is anyway.

I have a son who has a certain type of disability who isn't even eligible for Medicaid. I don't have a lot of sympathy for this situation. The man was supposed to be cared for by a hospital in his own country - the US hospital went to great lengths to ensure that happened. At what point is THAT country going to be held responsible for its own citizen? At what point are the relatives of this man going to step up and help him with his bills?

thturd a person who speaks with logic and common since!!!!!! Got to love ya.

WHO (2000): www.who.int/whr/2000/en/whr00_en.pdf (see chapter 6)
Cuurent Report: http://www.who.int/whr/2008/en/index.html
Rebutal: http://www.cato.org/pubs/bp/html/bp101/bp101index.html

It should be noted that the rebutal comes from CATO Institute, whose memebers and writers still quote from WHO statistics regularly.

This is the same crap that has been going on in California for years ! It's about time someone had the balls to send them back. Now the old case of someone breaking into your home and injuring themselves and turns around and sues you. Let's see what Sonia Sotomayor would have to say about this. I can see the bleeding hearts out protesting now. Well cry me a river!!!!!

The article I read said his "guardian" was ok with Jimenez going back to Guatemala until a court appointed ambulance chaser talked him out of it.

Leave it to the AP to turn a story into an editorial on inequities in health care while minimizing the fact that the man was here illegally to begin with.

I wonder, if President Obama wasn't trying to shove his health care plan (which he admittedly knows nothing about) down our throats, would this have been a story worth the time for the AP to cover it?

The hospital went to court, got a judgement, and the man was put on a plane and sent home. The hospital doesn't appear to be at fault to me, I'd say the attorney was incompetent because he couldn't get an emergency stay, now he's trying for notoriety and a big pay day. Like my father in law says, (he's a well respected attorney for the American Chiropractic Society) "You can always find an attorney to file a suit for anything that smells like a paycheck."

As others have said, if the man was not here illegally he would not have gotten in an accident to begin with.

It's about time. Better late than never. Now let's round up some more illegals and do the same. Let them go to their own country for free medical attention. Then let's get our country back on track. At least with illegals out of the loop maybe we can start a process of getting our economy out of the red. It's a start, a late one, but a start in the right direction.

hturd a person who speaks with logic and common since!!!!!! ...

Heck, my wife thinks I am talking out my ass half of the time anyways, so why stop there.

I don't know jack about the details on this case. However, pending how the case is brought forth. It can be a very (and I mean very) interesting case to following. It may have far reaching implications than that of the "white firefighter" case.

Luis Jimenez, have a good life and get better where you belong...in Guatemala and not here, leaching off the US for your free health care and living expenses. Maybe they can deport the legal guardian too.

Jimenez wasn't disabled when he made the conscious decision to come here illegally.

Spend OUR health dollars on AMERICANS.

There are a lot of deserving people who go without the care they need because of people like Jimenez.

I'm an former ER nurse. The illegals use the ER as PCP. They go there for every sniffle and sneeze. So the hospital has to write off their care and thats why you'll spend $2000 for a simple ER visit. Now the law reads that we have to treat the medically needy. If they have the sniffles send them home. After their appendectomy send them to their home country to recuperate. Leave them on a cot at the airport. This is why part of our system is broken. Were paying for the care of illegals. It took them 3 yrs. I woukd of waited until he was stable and sent him home. They are suing the hospital for his care. Really, how bout the drunk who ran him down. They had a judge. They shouldn't need one.

Here in Wa ton save money. If you commit a non violent crime are illegal you get a free ride home. The legals have to serve their sentence. The illegals will proably be back in 2 weeks.

What is the problem with the word illegal. I don't do anything illegal because I don't get in trouble. The illegals think that its just a word.

He's a ILLEGAL ALIEN...what the hell! Are we supposed to pay for even illegals and in this case a person who has broken the law!!!!!!!!!!!!

cousin and legal guardian, Montejo Gaspar.

Gaspar is suing the hospital for essentially deporting Jimenez, who was an illegal immigrant. The hospital, which spent more than $1.5 million on his care over three years, says Jimenez wanted to go home.

I am amazed Montejo Gaspar is Suing the state for deporting an Illegal! I got news for you Gaspar an Accomplice with aiding and abetting an Illegal. Who's gonna receive the 1.5 Million dollars the State paid for your Illegal cousin?

Come one Come ALL Illegals U.S. Health Care is now World Health Care If a Hospital Refuses to Cover you at Tax payers Expense You can Sue!

The Lawyer and Montejo need to be deported too, Our own Citizen Soldiers Get less treatment I'm just about FED THE **** UP With all this BUll@!$%# ! PERIOD !!!

If we are ever to have a health care system that works, those that partake in it must not only be LEGAL US citizens but they can't have the option to become a citizen and then use the system without having to pay into it. In a lot of European countries, you have to be a taxpaying citizen for TEN years before you get full health coverage. Why does the US always feel obligated to not put its own citizens first???? My friend's daughter can't get the health insurance co to cover the other 2 steps of the 3-step stem cell treatment her oncologist at a highly-regarded children's hospital but this illegal alien gets free medical care?

had he been a American Citizen, his work/ financial- credit bureau records would have been checked for stability.. if that stability was not up to par, he would have been rejected from any health care assistance.. he been an American, he would have been denied further treatment based on net worth.. this is a dirty shame, what Americans have to go through with admissions in a Hospital.. compared to a illegal immigrant, who does not have to go through all the RED TAPE and gets million dollar services...

The estimate of 47 million illegal uninsured in this country, is beyond anything we can pay for; the health care plans now being debated can not care for 47 million illegals, 21 million on welfare, 34 million uninsured, they can not pay for insurance, because they can't afford it; that means the rest of us have to pay extra for their care;, this madness can not continue, without collapsing the entire system, no wonder we are now 37 from the top in health care.

"This country" was not paying for his care....the hospital was going broke paying for his care. Being illegal - he didn't qualify for any state or federal help, so the cost of his care was being totally absorbed by the hospital.......now how do you expect the hospital to survive to continue to care for anyone else? They would go bankrupt . No long term care facility would accept him, because they would not get paid either. This is going on more than you know, especially in Florida, Texas, California, etc.....all the favorite home bases of the illegals.

Neither have the Dems.............It's been like pulling teeth to get our politicians to enforce the laws.

I say it's about time we start taking care of the Legals here in the States, and let their own countries take care of them. I am struggling here to keep my family covered under medical insurance, and it's costing me an arm and a leg. Where's my hand outs? I have paid my taxes for 25 years and never been handed a thing. I am soooooo tired of paying for illegals and people like Octo-mom.

We rank 37th, behind Morocco, a third-world country. Just thought you might like a fact to insert into your rhetoric.

Whatever group that came up with that rating, IS FULL OF IT!!! I would like to know what they based that on! I am sure people are flocking to Morocco for healthcare!

TOTAL BS!

agreed that this would cause a dangerous precedent if this leach wins this law suit. Hospitals are already caught between a rock and a hard place. They are paid by insurers to band-aid the immediate problem that brought the patient into the hospital and nothing else. They must have a safe discharge for patients and therefore are often not paid for days, weeks, and sometimes years of care while they find a safe discharge. Now compound this with the fact that people without insurance, legal or not, don't pay for any of the care they receive and often 'have no safe place to go' on discharge. Often times, this is because families refuse the safe discharge option and refuse to assist the patient (except of course when it comes to suing). And we wonder why our healthcare system is broke. How about hospitals being responsible only for what they are designed to do which is to bandage the patient up and not hold them responsible for solving issues and providing care they are not being paid for. And for those that cite stats suggesting our health care system is inferior to others, consider the fact that this is the only country I know of that provides futile ICU treatment (patient not expected to recover) for years on end. When these stats are compiled, they do not take into consideration that we offer this high acuity care. In those countries, this immigrant would have been put in custodial facility to die and not been a part of the stat. Of course their healthcare stats look better! We are not comparing apples to apples here. And this is the most costly care available, and we are providing it for years! No wonder our healthcare costs are soaring. Americans need to take a deep look into the healthcare issue and decide what is important to them. I am with those on these boards who agree that this free ride for illegals has to end! This case is just one of many that occur in this country everyday. Think about that the next time your jaw drops when you look at your hospital bill.

The extremes of both parties run them because that's where all the money comes from. The DNC doesn't want to close the border nor deport whose here because of humanitarian reason. The RNC doesn't want it either for cheap labor at their factories or job sites. Us in the middle who want the borders closed and the illegals deported don't have a say. But Obama should be listening because the majority of his funds for the first time came from the middle. I agree with his strategy of getting rid of the jobs. So far ICE has raided 500+ payroll depts made them get rid of over 5000 employees without documentation and fined the companies. But the fines have been a pittance. The law from the 80s after Reagen gave them amnesty allows large fines. Make it hurt for corporate america. Hit them with those fines. When the company that had 1200 illegals in its 5000 people workforce gets a fine of a hundreds of millions of dollars that's going to change everything. Everyone will have heard of it the next day.

Val-1158135

Health Care is subsidized as a taxpayer who pays income taxes theres fee's that are absorbed to cover potential health care costs down the road like unfortunate accidents and retirement checkups and procedures. The Federal Government subsidizes hospitals to keep costs relatively low depends which state u live in you pay federal taxes as well. How Val Please give me your expert opinion a Hospital has money to pay for these expenses when Hospitals Charge Citizens and legal Immigrants and Insurance Companies the costs for the care? Is it Monopoly Money I think not!

This is Most likely reason

He and Larson also say a country that relies on cheap immigrant labor for everything from agriculture, to clothing to construction, should factor in the cost of catastrophic injuries to those providing these essential services — whether it means requiring employers to offer coverage for day laborers or ensuring public and nonprofit hospitals can care for them.

Yea Illegal Employers Should provide Coverage besides relying on the taxpayers for their Illegal Activities U know to make a buck ya gotta save a buck Regardless who's Paying for it Better Yet Deport The Illegal Employers Too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Story also encroaches on why there are such devalued Occupations in this Country After all.

The hospital administrators need to be commended for their benevolence. I find it hard to criticize the patient but I believe the love and support from his family in his native country will speed up his recovery than him staying institutionalized amongst strangers in this country.

This occured in Southern Florida, also known as North Havana but only if your a light skinned Cuban.

Notice it was a Guatamalan who was sent back to Guatamala and not a Cuban sent back to Cuba...should make all of you wonder. I'm sure there are many more Cubans in Souther Florida languishing in vegetative states than are illegal aliens from the western southern hemisphere. How many illegal Cubans have been sent back to Cuba? Excepting that young child who was correctly sent back to his father there.

I agree this patient was an illegal alien receiving free health care. And if your not contributing to the broken healthcare grid you are helping to weaken further the broken healthcare grid, that much is evident.

But this was underhanded, even for Northern Havana, and with a legal gaurdian fighting deportation this case is about to become very interesting.

Who was the State judge who decided on Federal deportation?

Give the hospital administrators a medal!!!! They are doing the job that our federal government refuses to do: Sending illegals back to their country. All we hear from the feds is , they can't deport them because they can't locate them. Well, when they show up for free heath care, welfare checks, and education they now know where the illegals are. Do your jobs you lazy federal scumbags. Detain them and deport them. All of them.

We rank 37th, behind Morocco, a third-world country. Just thought you might like a fact to insert into your rhetoric.

BS. If our health care is so poor here, ask yourself why the rest of the world wants to and in a lot of cases do come here for their health care.

fieldtheory -If he is illegal, he should be deported.
Having said that. You state that our medical system is so bad, I was wondering where you go for medical care. I think our system needs fixing, not a totally new system.

That's like getting a flat tire, and buying a new car with new tires. Just fix the tire.

I have Kaiser Permanente. I haven't had any problems. I do know people who have, however, they they are free to choose another health plan. Under the new system you're choices will be very limited.

Take a class. Cubans are returned to Cuba if they are picked up in route. Because they are actually persecuted by the government (as opposed to drug dealers bred by a violent society), if they reach US soil, they are legalized.

This means they pay taxes, insurance and all the other crap the rest of us pay, unlike illegals such as Jimenez.

I glad they sent Jimenez back, just wish they would have done it much sooner.

E Escobar
Who was the State judge who decided on Federal deportation?

This occured in Southern Florida, also known as North Havana but only if your a light skinned Cuban.

Notice it was a Guatamalan who was sent back to Guatamala and not a Cuban sent back to Cuba...should make all of you wonder. I'm sure there are many more Cubans in Souther Florida languishing in vegetative states than are illegal aliens from the western southern hemisphere. How many illegal Cubans have been sent back to Cuba? Excepting that young child who was correctly sent back to his father there.

I agree this patient was an illegal alien receiving free health care. And if your not contributing to the broken healthcare grid you are helping to weaken further the broken healthcare grid, that much is evident.

But this was underhanded, even for Northern Havana, and with a legal gaurdian fighting deportation this case is about to become very interesting.

Yep, totally agree with the hospital here. FACT OF THE MATTER IS - HE IS ILLEGAL. Over a million dolllars spent on an illegal, and we have citizens right in this country that are turn down for medical care. Now, something ridiculously wrong with this picture. No wonder our healthcare system is in shambles, and driving our economy down even further. This is where I have a major beef with Repugs and right wingers, because we really need REGULATIONS in this country. And bull crapolla if anyone think socialism, because you know darn well it's not! ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDS TO BE SETUP. And who else can do that but the government. For eight years under Duh-bya's watch, his oilmen and banker henchmen and cohorts made major profits out of the backs of average hardworking Americans. It's time Americans realize we need to have the government fix these issues or our country ends up just like any other 3rd world country. And obviously, the Party of NO callously and shamelessly continue to ignore the plight of the American people. The boat is sinking and they are still party FIRST. Total selfish morons!!

I'm so tired of this "We rank 37th in health care" argument. People like throwing around that number, but do you know how our rank is calculated? Honestly what lowers our score is because the government doesn’t pay for it. Our score goes down because the people have to pay for their insurance and that kills our “fairness and distribution” score. That has nothing to do with the quality of health care!

To those that think that the hospital should just 'suck it up' and deal with the cost don't ever ask why your hospital bills are so high. All the illegals in this country and those that cross the border to use our hospitals raise our costs significantly. I work in the health care industry and Federal law prevents ANY hospital from turning away any patient that presents to the emergency room period. This means the hospital is stuck with the cost of your care if you don't pay. For an american it can be reported on your credit report but an illegal either does not have a SS# at all or has stolen someone elses and is ruining their credit. It is NOT a tax write off as many people think the hospital can only 'write it off' if you qualify for financial assistance which dictates you must be legally in the country. The IRS isn't going to relax the rules because it would lose out on billions in tax dollars. So the hospital is in a catch 22 they can't turn you away and they also can't 'write off' the illegal persons unpaid bills and since they don't have a SS# it doesn't damage their credit. Illegals do not qualify for medicaid and so the hospital is SOL. It would be fine if it was a 'one time' thing but illegals use the emergency rooms as if it were their primary doctor because they can not be turned away. They also use the emergency rooms to have their babies here and in so doing pervert the 14th amendment that was actaully written to benefit slave owners(they had to make the babies of slaves citizens in order to continue to own them or they would have been free to leave.) A private doctor can require payment up front for services but a hospital emergency room can not and the hospital must treat you until you are stable before transferring you anywhere else.

Those that think 'socialized' medicine will be great think about this where do you think the money to run such a program comes from....taxes and lots of them(illegals take out far more than they put in. On top of that the paper work and red tape just to see a doctor or have a needed surgery is ridiculous unlike here where you just call your family doctor and make your appointment. Not so in Canada and England and many other countries with socialized medicine you have to fill out paperwork and have your visit 'approved' by some government paper pusher. The US government has sucked medicare dry and run it into the ground along with dipping their greedy paws into social security(which had been set up so they could not use the money for anything but social security but good old Bill Clinton found a way around that and now the money from SS is in the general fund for the idiots in congress to spend willy nilly) do you really think they should be given more money to play around with. If they set this up do you really think the money would ONLY be used for our health care? If they found a way to use our SS money for their greedy overspending they would find a way to use health care $ as well. Certainly they don't care whether SS is around they don't have worry about it their 'golden parachute' pension and health care that the congress and senate gets SS and medicare are a pittance. They get their full pay when they retire at 65........that's right become a congressman for 4 years or a senator for 6 get your big pay check and then work a different job until 65 and what do you get a FULL paycheck of what you were making when you were in office. Your health care is gratis that's right paid for by the american taxpayer.

A message needs to be sent to the illegals we will NOT pick up the tab for your health care, your education, your food stamps and all the other freebies you get once you sneek across our borders. The liberal left says we should not call them illegal or criminals but that is EXACTLY what they are they have broken our most basic laws just coming here and many many others to stay here. They had some sob story about some illegal who worked in Elkhart where they make RV's and he was whining about not getting unemployment because he was illegal. Well bummer that is what you get for breaking the law you are not allowed to be here without coming in the proper way and the punishment is supposed to be time in jail. Our government needs to quit being a bunch of p#$$ies and uphold our laws. They are giving more rights to those that are NOT legally here than to those of us who are.

Kudos to the hospital for sending this guy back home where he belongs. He is NOT our responsibility. My personal favorite excuse for the illegals by the liberal left is that 'they have a right to a better life'. First off NO they do not have a RIGHT to it in their country or OURS. The bill of rights only provides for the 'pursuit of happiness' it does NOT in any way guarantee it. On top of that the bill of rights was written for AMERICANS not every single person on the planet. Stand up for your rights America. Go to an emergency room and walk around you will see many of the patients are NOT from here and likely are illegals but the hospital is NOT allowed to inquire about their status just as many other agencies are prevented from asking such as welfare and food stamps they can't inquire either now do you wonder where all of our tax money goes. Just ask California once one of the richest states they have given the illegals freebies for decades and now they are broke. Welfare is a lifetime deal there is no cutoff as long as you have a kid under 18 get a clue Cali cut them off make them work and if someone can not prove their legal status they should be denied aid as they are NOT american.

fieldtheory,

how many dr's and hospitals have you been turned away from in the U.S.???

I don't see what the big deal is. The hospital should just settle the case and tell him they will give him his million dollars. But just before that they should remind him of the one and a half million that Jimenez owes them. And that should be immediately followed with the question of when Jiminez is going to pay them that $500,000 that he still owes them.

And besides,It is stated that he has the cognitive ability of a fourth grader. My experience is that this is about the average for an illegal imigrant farm worker. So there is no loss there for him.

The real story here is Where were our immigration services all this time? After it became apparent he was in this country illegally, why didn't they step in and do their job and send him home. I hope the hospital prevails on this one as it would seem they went above and beyond what they had to do.

This is a prime example of why our current immigration laws need to be enforced strictly. We need to rid ourselves of the burden illegal immigrants put on our country and at the same time our courts need to handle cases like this with a simple question to the plaintiff: Are you in this country legally" If the answer is NO then case dismissed or better yet denied. We are basically a nation of immigrants so naturally I have nothing against "LEGAL IMMIGRATION" to this country. I do however have everything against criminals getting constitutional rights they have no right to. Our liberal courts need to get tough and draw the line on this nonsense.

The key word here is "ILLEGAL" Alien. He should of been deported 3 years ago!!! His guardian Gasper wants to sue?? Good while he's in court let's charge him with harboring a criminal (he becomes a criminal the minute he crosses the border illegally or stays beyond the time he was legally allotted here )and sue him for the $1.5 million dollar hospital bill (not to mention the cost of flying him back) seeing he's his guardian he is responsible for him.

Anyone who disagrees with deporting him, please feel free to get out your checkbook and pay for all his medical bills yourself! Most of you are humanitarians till the money has to come out of your family's mouths or your personal bank accounts!!! Your real compassionate with everyone Else's money! It's cases such as this which are the cause of our astronomical medical costs. They have to charges us to make up for all the costs they have to eat for illegal aliens. DEPORT ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS NOW!!!!

best medical care in the world? mmmh you need to travel more. I know that our health care is about money and fancy cars/houses for the medical personnel, perhaps any other country in the world would have taken care of this human being, regardless of his legal status, and that is where the problem lies, do you think that an accidental geographical birth is what makes you a true american? a true american is that one that cherishes the values mentioned in the constitution and that tries to instill morality and humanity in his/her views and how he/she treats other human beings.

being an American is supposed to be a human daily practice, not a result. being a true American is supposed to defend good values and to live by those regardless of hate or prejudice. Being an American is supposed to be a constant state of pride supported by humanity,tolerance,equality,justice,morality, and all those human carachteristics that many self-proclaimed Americans promote but do not practice.

it is irrelevant if he was legal or not, what it matters is the value of a human life, and there is no excuse in repudiating our responsibility as Americans and Humans.

we claim that we want a better world, and we carry the big stick around the world admonishing constantly other countries for their misdeeds against their citizens, but when are we going to be valiant in off to recognize our own?

being an American is to care and to give, is to respond to the unprotected or the sick, not to ensure that the medical community drives a fancy car or makes $200,00+ per year. We lost sight of the medical care in this country, we allowed Doctors to become businessman and by doing this we sold part of our soul to this present deplorable state of affairs, the value of human life (regardless of citizenship or legality) was lost somewhere along the 20th century, perhaps right after the second world war, we converted ourselves from saviors to coldblooded invaders, and in this we missed the possibility of teaching what to be a real American is.

Are you kidding me...1.5 million!! I was born in the U.S.A. ....make to much for welfare..but not enough to afford health care...cant afford to go to a dr. or a dentist..but someone who doesnt even belong here can get 1.5 MILLION dollars worth of health care...NICE...

His legal status is of no concern as hospitals do not turn down anyone in need of help, nor should they.

This poor man who worked hard and was rendered a quadraplegic in an unfortunate accident wanted to go home. He signed an agreement allowing the hospital to fly him to Guatemala and hand-deliver him 12 hours up steeply-mountainous back-woods terrain to his grandmothers home for free, which they did. The hospital did not deport him. They just gave him a free ride home.

you forgot all those that are born americans and abuse the system, from criminals to financiers, including some government officials, or should we allow them to use and abuse our system simply because they were born here?
so we should take our sons and allowed them to commit abuse, but we should judge and punish others just because they were not born here?
what is the human standard on that?

SuzyQ

If it were any other country, this patient would have been deported shortly after entering the hospital.

Clearly Suzy you've never been to another country or you wouldn't have made that statement. There are plenty of americans going to canada and europe who don't have insurance and are not being deported. they go over on a tourist visa with a known health condition in an effort to get healthcare that their insurance denies them here in the states. Technically their tourist visa doesn't make them illegal, but their ulterior motives is illegal behavior in those countries and yet they are deported for it.

Most foreign countries don't deport illegals if they have been really injured. They patch them up first then deport them. If what you meant is foreign countries sending home patients before they run up a million dollar tab then that is true.

BTW 1.5 million dollars has got to be way over inflated. I remember during spine surgery the hospital alone was charging $10,000/day, and there was no possible way the bill could've been that much compared to the services I received (which was absolutely horrible BTW). They were just milking the insurance company. The hospital in the article I'm sure was inflating the bill, so it would be offset in taxes owed to the IRS.

Technically their tourist visa doesn't make them illegal, but their ulterior motives is illegal behavior in those countries and yet they are NOT deported for it.

sorry for the typo

robin-hood-tactics

how does someone who isn't even a legal US citizen sue anyone ?

The same way all the people who have been illegally tortured through CIA rendition flights can sue.

scarab333

We rank 37th, behind Morocco, a third-world country. Just thought you might like a fact to insert into your rhetoric.

BS. If our health care is so poor here, ask yourself why the rest of the world wants to and in a lot of cases do come here for their health care.

There's a difference in the word Healthcare, and technology. People come here because they have the cash, and we have a huge private healthcare system with advanced technology that isn't open the general public. Europe doesn't have a large private healthcare community. probably only germany and switzerland are private, but it's not possible to make a profit in the healthcare industry and that keeps everything affordable so the general population can afford to be forced to pay for insurance. It's not out of their reach.

We do have the most advanced technology, but we are still far away from successful orthopedic care as is europe. However our healthcare system is out of reach of the general public due to the laughable prices placed on healthcare in this country. If the general public doesn't have access to general healthcare in an industrialized country then we rank lower on the worldwide healthcare list.

indeed all of these guys are missing the point, the hospital charged 1.5 million, the patient did not used 1.5 million in real cost care, what did they do to justify such exhorbitant bill? 20 nurses 24/7, 10 doctors 24/7? what did the hospital did that costed so much? new cars for the personnel? or a million dollars bonus for the admin?
come on get some common sense once and for all, stop blamng the patient, our own healthcare system is robbing us!!!!!!!!!

in what concerns of the healthcare system, we are just another third world country with a lot of money, exhuberant millionaires in the industry, lots of heavy expensive bills and lots of shining equipment that most of the time do not serve any purpose, and finally we have (and I quote) we have a lot of pills to keep us numb.

Saxon, an AP report by Laura Wides-Munoz, posted a few hours ago states that of the 47 million uninsured, 15% are illegals. ("Fla. jury mulls hospital deportation case", By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ (AP) – 10 hours ago) That is 7.05 million illegals. It is not 47 million illegals.

On July 15, 2008, CBS' Chip Reid reported:

(CBS) Since 1999, health insurance premiums have increased 120 percent - four times as much as wages. About 1.5 million American families lose their homes to foreclosure every year because of sky-high medical bills.

Yes, of course he should have been stabilized and treated. Once able to travel, arrangements should have been made to transport him. Immigration, ICE, whatever it's called, should have been involved.

And Yes, the bill should have been sent to the Guatemalan government.

Deport? What deport? Martin Memorial simply sent him home. Why would that be against any law?

What does Gaspar want? Free care for life? Why? Who gets that?

If the family wins the lawsuit, the hospital should counter sue for the 1 million owed them for the care :)

First off Field theory if you're so dissatisfied with this country MOVE! No one wants people like you living in our country. Second of all I feel the drunk driver should be held liable for the 1.5 million in hospital care as it could have been anyone of us he hit and he's lucky he didn't kill anyone. That's how you need to look at things it could have been ANYBODY the person was a DRUNK DRIVER they are everywhere. They need to be the ones to have the consequenses. Third I feel the hospital did alot for this patient, he was here Illegally. Someone said in a comment that we depend on illegal immigrants to do farming, etc. That does not have to be true...we turn our heads and allow them to work here. There are plenty of people that are laid off right now that should be out there working the feilds rather than collecting. However, illegal immigrants are CHEAPER so farmers and others choose to use them rather than legal citizens. No matter which way you look at this situation the fact remains if this man was not here illegally he would not be in the situation he is in right now. It is a sad situation and I understand they are not well off in their country. But if you want to come here do it the right way that's all that our people ask!

Fawn,

we depend on illegal immigrants to do farming,

there are plenty of people that are laid off right now that should be out there working the feilds rather than collecting

both statements are true. The illegals are willing to do any type of work. Sad thing is that even though we have alot of laid off people, some think that its beneath them to work in the fields or flip burgers.

The good news is that if the jury decides against the hospital, hospitals across the country will start turning away illegal immigrants for care and that will reduce the 47 million uninsured in this country by 7 million(the 15% quoted in the article)! 

What I don't understand about this, is why we have to "decide" to deport an illegal. There's no decision there to make, they're not legal here, they should be deported. I don't understand why we feel that we have to give people rights who don't deserve them, who don't pay taxes to get them, and who are obviously not making any effort to go through to process to become someone who is.

It shouldn't matter who deports an illegal, as long as they are deported. We shouldn't need to go to court to do it. If we immediately deported illegals we would save billions of tax payer dollars vs. putting them in jail, and in hospitals, and things of that nature. Just send them back where they came from.

"It comes as a shock to people when they learn that America doesn't rank #1 in much of anything among civilized countries -- or even many third-world countries -- with the exception of violence, military technology, debt, and number of citizens in prison. " We are first in many things, we have more patents per eyar than the entire EU. If we are so bad why are so many trying to get here? You need an education, bet you haven't much leaft your country or even your home traveling only via your computer.

this shows two points one that illegals get as good or better care that citizens and two there is the best example for massive changes in our health care

The reason why we pay more and get less is because of insurance companies are profit driven and they would never pay for this mans medical needs.

The only way to move our health care into the twenty-first century is to man up and go with a single payer system .

I know that the right wing talks about having a government employee approving or disapproving our care but I suspect that I would receive better care that way than having a insurance company employee worrying about their bonus while they were reviewing my claim

This has gotten totally insane, the hospital should've never spent that kind of money on an illegal alien while so many americans are not getting medical help they need. The ungrateful relatives who are suing the hospital should be made responsible for the medical costs if they are here legally, if not deport them too after they pay the hospital the money due! If they helped this illegal alien, they knowingly broke the law. Let them sue the illegals country of origin for accepting this freeloading criminal back, let's see how much his own country spends on him! HOW MUCH MORE OF THIS ARE WE GOING TO TAKE?

A person jay walking gets hit by a drunk driver becomes paralysed should not receive care from the hospital, if the hospital is no longer receiving payment. Therefore the hospital can use whatever means necessary to remove him from the hospital.

We agree with this because the paralysed patient was commiting a crime of the accident... Is this the analogy I am hearing from this blog?

Should hospital spend that kind of money on a non-paying person? Now is that a doctor decision or a buisness decision? If that is a business decision, then how is that different from a health insurance and possibily government (like many are gripping) making that decision?

Depending what is being filed by the lawyers, this case can have a tremendous implication on our interpretation of our law. Example would be, does our law only apply to Americans, or all human?

These people from Mexico and Central America would not walk into a strangers house and make themselves at home within their own country because it is not courteous. The U.S. Mexican border is the door to my home. These people are not only illegal and not courteous but they are criminal. They should all be deported and any U.S. employers, including congressman, should be fined or serve jail time. U.S congress and courts need to stand behind U.S. citizens . If only they had a pair to stand with.

.

should have shipped his relatives out too, they probably got her illegally...and they should never have let him go til they harvested enough organs off him to pay for his stay... I think them Jewish guys in the other article today could have helped out with that.

It is against the law for hospitals turning anyone away from the emergency room. By law they are required to screen patients and provide stabilizing care. If they do not they could lose their medicare/medicaid privaleges, and be fined. They are also not allowed to dump patients, in this case no one would take this illegal. And $1.5 million sounds about right for quadriplegic care for 3 years. The reason we are 37th in healthcare is because we have the most expensive healthcare, does not necessarily mean it is the best, because it is profit driven. Many people cannot afford healthcare and wait till they are too sick to get help. If you have money you get the best care possible, If you dont have money you are out of luck. Even with health insurance you can be bankrupted. 65% of all bankruptcies due to medical costs are people who had health insurance. My sister is one of them.

"The case also raises the question of whether a hospital and a state court should be deciding whether to deport someone — a power long held by the federal government."

It would appear that Florida found a judge with the backbone to do what was right instead of worrying about the politics of any decission made. Bully for that judge. JUst how long are the tax payers here suppose to support illegals for any reason ? Why does any cost get passed to us..why should any hospital be forced to take casre long temr of those illegals that come here knowing they can not pay for anything...but get away with sticking us with their bills ? .why not let our government, since it wants to collect from someone , sue the government these illegals come from for support rather than sticking us with the bills. ? Of course, with our government, politics takes presence over all .... no matter what...

I'm with you. Illegal is Illegal that last time I checked. We don't do this for our own citizens, So why should all this money be spend ON ILLEGALs. There is a right way to come to this country DO IT. It's mean, but as Americans we just can't move somewhere and get help. Everybodys so gongho on helping other country's people. YET we REFUSE to help our own. That's might right.

Greg (msg. #1.34): The ranking was established by WHO, one more UN sanctioned international organization which provides sinecures for incompetent but well connected 3rd Worlders who hate the West and the USA in particular. Let me rebut it by suggesting that anyone inclined to believe that the USA ranks below Morocco in "health" or "quality of life" or "life span" or any of the other measurements of a society's "healthiness" take a quick trip to Morocco. To say that the nicest areas of Tangiers and Marrakesh make the worst parts of Tijuana look good by comparison is to understate the filthiness and poverty of the place. Now, maybe eating dirt is good for one's digestion and maybe maggots crawling on one's skin is a great alternative to dermabrasion and maybe living in a pile of rags and making a living by begging is a great way to reduce stress, but, unless that is the explanation for Morocco's robust healthiness, I fail to understand how WHO came up with their rankings. Sounds like one more "guilt trip" being piled on the USA (which, despite our abyssmal showing in the WHO rankings, is still where the Moroccan Royal family comes for medical care).

As for Mr. Jimenez? Well, seems to me that if you're someplace you shouldn't be, then the risk of getting hurt should fall on you, not on the legal residents of the place which you unlawfully invaded. The moment his injuries were stabilized, he should have been put on a plane back to Guatemala and charged the cost of the flight and a lien for the costs to date of his care should have been imposed on anyone who abetted his presence here. Think that's harsh? Well, consider this: Of the 47 Million "Americans" without healthcare insurance, the majority are actually illegal aliens. The reason that an Urgent Care can treat you as a "walk-in" for $100 while a hospital ER will charge you $2,000 for the same service is because hospitals are obliged, by law, to provide care without regard for ability to pay and, as a consequence, are regularly used by illegals as primary care providers. The extra $1,900 is the "subsidy" which Americans have to pay for providing those services. So, let's understand that this "health care crisis" is NOT an "American problem", unless you believe that America is obliged to take care of the world at the cost of its own citizens.

I would like to know who is doing the ranking, Micheal Moore?

So why hasn't the hospital contacted INS? It has been so many years... What is the hospital worry about, if they are so much in the clear??? Where are the doctors defending the hospital and the deportation and defending sending the patient home...

Something is not adding up here.

because, INS does nothing with the illegals.........central florida has more illegal mexicans, than legal mexicans live in mexico city. if illegals in st. lucie county florida go to court, they are told ( by the judge) to plead no contest, because if they plead guilty they must deported.................. fact i still haven't found the correct definition of illegal....... has anyone?

signed: viet-nam vet

Here's a solution...

"The hospital, which spent more than $1.5 million on his care over three years, says Jimenez wanted to go home."

Because Jimenez has diminished capacity to make decisions, Gaspar was named as his legal guardian.

Jimenez’s lawsuit seeks nearly $1 million to cover the estimated lifetime costs of his care in Guatemala, as well as damages for the hospital’s alleged “false imprisonment” of his cousin.

The hospital should bill Jimenez (or his guardian, Gaspar) for the $ 1.5 million in services rendered. They fail to pay, sue them!

hey, i wonder is gasper also illegal...........sorry undocumented?

dave you did not complain when was cleaning your back yard or cooking your food. Picking the crops. No one is locking the companies that hire these guy every day no one as long as they are not having to pay YOU a living wage and making millions.

He'd probably pay with chickens.

Tyrone-598935

I'll pick up that one Ty. When I was a kid, I did odd jobs for neighbors, cut lawns, weeded flower beds, shoveled snow, you name it, if I could make money at it I did it. Hell, I also picked vegetables at a local farm, I got $1.00 per bushel of green beans, and I had better have not picked and put in rusty looking beans either! Because the farmer took them to market and wanted a good looking product to sell.

We do not need illegal, or undocumented workers, whatever you want to call them. We need to get kids off their ass and learn to work for money instead of giving it to them. I had my kids work for money, they earned what they got. They also did odd jobs for neighbors. Today they are grown and on their own. They work for a living and havn't come running back home crying for a handout. Why? Because they were raised to be adults and act accordingly.

Thturd, have you been into an INS office lately? Drop by and you'll know exactly why they do next to nothing about the illegal alien crisis in this country.

ChevsMark has hit it right on the head. My father made a very good living but I had to get a summer job when I was in hs. My first job was in a belt factory - punch in by 7 am, no ac, 1/2 hr for lunch. But I made more than if I worked in a fast food place, etc and I got weekends off. That job also convinced me to work my butt off in university. Do you know why students don't do farm or factory jobs in the summer? Because if they do show some work ethic or iniative, they get penalized for it when it comes time to apply for financial aid!! In fact they can be denied FA if they have a summer job where they earn more than $150 a week!

tyrone, what do you do for a living?

You are so right! just a piece of advise, if your point of view becomes valid under the law, just do not go to an indian casino, you may get deported to your ancestors country!

is incredible that you actually think that we should commend an act done by an unauthorized entity to decide the fate of a human being.

notawhiner-384285

You are so Right! Why don't you send the guy a plane ticket back to your city and have him come and live with you! Show us the way oh enlightened one!!!! Show us by your example! Pay the poor guys hospital bill and future medical bills.Take care of him in your home. This is what's wrong with the world, lots of people love to tell the world how evil they are because they can barely support their own families and resent illegals demanding entitlements, but luckily there are people like you who are actually willing to do something about it with their own funds, time and in their own homes. Thank you for being such a great American and example for us all. Shall I contact the guy and tell him when he should be expecting the airline ticket from you?

Indeed I am more than words, four consecutive years chosen as men of the year in my county for charitable contributions to the local mental hospital and childrens hospitals, therefore I comply with my responsibilities as a human being and when I do that, I do not ask if they are legal or illegal, I just give and is not because I am a good human being, we are not supposed to do that and claim that we are good for doing it, we are supposed to do it because it is a responsibility as part of a society, so for people like you that tends to feel "enlightened" by thinking of helping or contributing to society as an accomplishment, let me tell you that is an obligation of an individual in any society he or she lives at, is not to be commended but is to be a practice that is silently done to make our society a better environment to live on. finally you need to realize that the only thing that separates us from the animals is the capacity to understand and live in a peaceful society that instills tolerance and respect, many humans like you take from the system all the benefits of letting others to carry the burden of complying with those responsibilities of the less fortunate, but let me tell you that leeches like that seem to have a less happy and fullfilling lives, due to the fact that at the end of the day they did not even earned rightfully the right to have a good night sleep.
so get to the issue and leave your xenophobia behind, the issue is that the hopsital a private entity took an illegal action causing a deportation and that has a long lasting consequence in how we react and deal with the powers of private entities or individuals to enforce the laws, that is the real issue not your charade of unfounded attacks on my character.

notawhiner: PHEW -- I think that is the longest sentence I have ever seen. Congrats on being "men" of the year (quit an accomplishment for one person to get an award for many) but you really need to go back to your English literacy class for a refresher before you publically make a fool of yourself again.

So he can't write... you can't spell, maybe you should take your own advice.. But shouldn't your response be in regards to what he wrote instead of how he wrote it? IDK just a thought I guess..

Now to "respond" to the actual article. No doubt about it, crossing the border-no matter which one- is illegal which means there will be consequences if you do it. But then why is this such a big deal? It's called compassion, I don't think doctors would be doctors if they didn't care. Come on ppl be honest, would you have the heart to make that call? PPL are overly sensitive to the freakin word "retard", you really think we have the balls to deport someone who is trying to get help??

Hey Sandra!

Why don't you attack notawhiner's ideas instead of his spelling? That is pretty petty of you. I bet you're not woman/women/girl/girlies/broad/chick or ANYTHING of the year since you are so petty and mean-spirited. You should be grateful that there is some balanced and open exchange on this page. It is TRUE that we are our brother's keeper and that we all have to contribute to make our society work. We must NOT hate our fellow man even if he is poor, handicapped, or in any way diminished in our eyes. Especially if he is. Rather we MUST love him. This is what Christianity and Buddhism teaches. Even Islam requires the individual to give to charity. It's SAD that we can't take care of this man. But we can't. We're broke. We're in trouble ourselves. We appear to be so rich - but REALLY - we are a poor nation of people living hand to mouth. We are constantly being fooled by those who aggressively and oftentimes dishonestly seize power. And the gentlemen is right. A good part of the responsibility lies is the inflated and prices of our bloated and vice-ridden medical system. Returning from France, where I paid 25 dollars per ordinary visit to see my doctor, I was asked to pay $300 to see a doctor in New York City. Don't you see that the medical profession is bleeding us dry?

Okay - So I too refuse to accept that illegals aliens are taking advantage of America, which they parasitically perceive to be a wealthy nation. Just recently I witnessed a so-called refugee getting a green card and many benefits from our nation, when I suspect that he fabricated the entire story. But that said, we must not despise or belittle Third World people. There is a way to solve this in a win-win scenario. We are all in this together, as you will see when your allotted time is up. God WILL ask what you did for the least of His. You will have to answer that you did nothing AND you ridiculed those who did. Let's find a reasonable solution to this mess. Latin American nations have got to understand that they can not dump their extremely poor on us with impunity. But understand. We have to act fast before it's too late. soon, many who are the second and third generations of these illegal aliens will begin passing laws to protect aliens even more. Right now the governor of Los Angeles, who is of mexican extraction is showing obvious preference for Mexicans and other latinos. Illegals flood the street of New York. I was recently contactly by an illegal alien who trafficks in jobs. He approached me offering to sell me a good job. We are fast approaching Banana Republic status. We will never solve this problem without a real battle. And Americans should learn to love and respect and protect fellow Americans. Now.

Notawhiner,

I did not ask you what you've done in the past, You did not answer my question......Shall I contact the guy and tell him when he should be expecting the airline ticket from you?

Not taxpayers on the hook for this, the hospital is stuck with this cost, they should countersue for the cost of treating this person for 3 years.

Alykatama, your right the taxpayer is not on the hook, but every time you go to the hospital or to the doctor they have hiked up the price that you are paying in order to make up for their losses on him and the thousand or millions like him! So we are paying for them. I agree they should counter sue for the cost of treating him!

ChevsMark.thank you sir...finally someone that is thinking...Look at all the folks on welfare for nothing,because they do not want to work,,,and get by with it..and the reason being, votes...anyone that is not totally disabled should have to do something for the welfare money they receive,,,that includes all the women that up to now have been paid by the head for the kids they have and are not married...they too should be working for those funds.

Thank you, Casca, for a reasonable statement on an unreasonable problem. I have copied and sent it to all my contacts.

I was born here in America. My rights are as follows:

I have the right to PAY for an education.

I have the right to PAY for healthcare.

I have the right to PAY for groceries.

I have the right to PAY for housing.

I have the right to PAY for legal counsel.

I have the right to be required to PAY taxes.

Maybe I should renounce my American citizenship. I do have the right to do that, you know.

If I do that, I will have the right to a FREE education.

I will have the right to FREE healthcare.

I will have the right to FREE groceries.

I will have the right to FREE housing.

I will have the right to FREE legal counsel.

And best of all, I wont have to pay any taxes!

Which means I will have the right to a FREE ride! At the expense of the American taxpayer! WooHoo!!! What a deal!!!

It's no wonder theres so many illegals in this country. Thay got it made in the shade.

Great Post Casca. Government is to blame for not enforcing the law in the first place. I know many legal immigrants who came here after long waits to get their Green card. A good friend of mine has been here 26 years and did it the long way, but legally and he worked as a bus boy for years, it wasn't handed to him.

Our wonderful leaders past and present have left the doors open so wide the floods from Katrina did less damage. We should have an amendment that no child born to anyone illegally in our country can be an automatic citizen as most countries already have. We also, should allow ICE and local law enforcement to carry out deportations of anyone they come across as not being legal. No rights, they are not citizens, just shipped right back home. It would cost less for an airplane ticket than what we pay in health care and schooling, etc. Geez, maybe we'd actually be able to afford our own health care then.

As far as Tyrone saying we don't complain that they pick our crops, well, there are work visas that can be acquired to handle that. They work for the season, get paid legally, then go home. I have no problem deporting every last illegal in this country. If we don't make it easy, then they won't come so easily. Do I feel bad that he comes from a third world country and wants to provide for his family, yes I do, but just think if every single third world country person decided to cross our borders on any given day. USA is already the biggest benefactor to these countries with aid. We need to take care of our own too or then we become a third world country and no one is the better for it.

Great post Kevin! You know what I find Ironic. My medical policy, Which I PAY FOR!!!! Caps at 1 million in coverage. Which means if I had been at that same hospital they would have kicked me out $500,000 bucks ago. And I doubt they would have given me a private plane home.

Look; on a personal level, I feel really bad for this guy. He obviously has some serious medical problems so as a fellow human being I have compassion for him. As a matter of principle, we cannot afford to give free health care to the world. IMHO, the hospital went way beyond compassion and should in no way be held liable for anything at this point. If this guy had been in Guatemala when he got hurt, he would have been dead 2 years 11 months and 3 weeks ago. Trust me, I know.

Then they kept coming and reproducing............so?

Good post Kevin! It is so true about illegals getting free medical care, while our citizens have to pay for it all. I had a friend in college, that was on his own working his way through with hourly paying jobs so he had no health insurance. He got a kidney infection and eventually when the pain in his back area became so severe he could barely walk, he went to the ER. They would not believe that he needed help paying for his bill because they couldn't believe a young white male didn't have health insurance! They made him wait forever in the waiting room making comments about where was his insurance card? Where was his parents, to help with the costs? (he had been on his own since he was 17) implying basically, he would eventually give in and give them his info as if he was lying about his lack of coverage. Mean while, several Hispanic families that barely spoke English, said clearly they had no insurance, no proof of identity or anything and the staff immediately started their paperwork to get them admitted to the hospital...seriously??? Any how, he eventually (after waiting hours in pain) had to call another friend to come get him to take him to a hospital that would allow him to pay whatever he could monthly till it was paid off. Why is it ppl who are here illegally get free health care and a young American, a legal citizen, trying to work his way through school was treated like crap, left in severe pain, and even denied health care at one hospital.

hehehe, you are so right on this one! the immigration laws should have been enforced properly since 1600, your rationale is invalid and fallacious at most.

Rhino40 - Also, if they kicked you out of the hospital when you hit your insurance cap, MSNBC probably wouldn't publish a sadsack story about how mean the hospital was to you. Even if they did, they wouldn't suggest that you should get your care free and let taxpayers foot the bill.

Why is it that some people scream that they don't way to pay higher taxes so that all US citizens can have health care, but when it's an illegal "immigrant" who needs the free care we're supposed to hand over the money because it's a humanitarian issue?

and also the lawyer...........nice payday for him if the hospital has to pay.......SHOULD NOT PAY 1 F*CKING CENT also no more anchor babies

I agree with you chris.....they sure can get some money. This is a fact!

have you wondered if you are not an anchor baby?
I love your human values, people like you is why I hate gravity....stop the planet I want to get off!!!!

notawhiner: You want to get off???? FANTASTIC, LET ME GIVE YOU A HAND UP.

They better not, and if they do, it will be our fault for not being on top of it and making our Congressmen accountable.

Kat,

You better plan on getting busy contacting your Representative and Congressman. Their plans for nationalized health care exempt them from the plans they have for us!

Email your Representative, and Congressman. Demand they pass no health care plan that does not include them losing their current health care plan. As is, we pay for their health care, and they have coverage that we couldn't ever get unless we were in their shoes.

And furthermore, tell President Obama he needs to tell the Justice Department to start enforcing the laws regarding illegal immigrants, since he is the one who told them to stop.

Ahhhh, we are finally getting to the source of the problem. Our elected officials are the source of the problem. If our government was doing their job we would not have illegals in this country to begin with. Why is it that we have to stand over our elected officials and watch every move they make? The fact being we voted them in to office with their promise to defend the Constitution of this nation and work in our best interests. Instead they get corrupted and start working for their best interests and to hell with us. It is time we make a statement by voting all these people out of office. This they will understand. The system need to be flushed, term limits needs to be set and their retirement program abolished. Our elected officials need to be on our Social Security program and our Medical program. When this happens the problems will be fixed. As far as this illegal, you are lucky to be alive, be grateful, the hospital owes you nothing..............you owe them. By the way stay home and don't come back.

Wow. I am so sorry you went through all that,. It's so hard to be the only honest person in an entire system. I heard that laws were being passed to protect wistle blowers. America is not so rich that it can afford to do as much as all that. And - Mexico is a very WEALTHY nation. Their economy rivals that of Spain's. It is DEFINITELY a 1st World nation. I am sympathetic to those who want to help the poor. But they should do that by contributing their own money and resources and not the money and resources of the city and state where they live. That is not theirs to give. don't give up. Write to your senator and try to form an action group. I'm sure that you can get tothe bottom of it eventually.

Oh and you can go back home where you belong to , we are tired of illegals. Get it.

Lance, So what are you trying to say?

According to the article the hospital paid this illegal's traveling expensive in the form of a private charter flight for 30 grand.

When I was released from a hospital in New Zealand all I got was a ride to the airport provided by one of the off duty nurse's. Where is my 30 grand? They did send me a hospital bill though.

Not that I didn't appreciate the ride, thanks.

Maybe Katie Couric can pay this guy's medical bill.........or Geraldo, idiots.

because they actually are, this is not about the concept of legality, this is about humanity, where is the "American" on any of these people?

proud to be American? which part?

lets review:

slavery? lynching of Italian immigrants (1800-1900)? Japanese concentration camps? (1943)? American Indian natives anihillation? preemptive strikes? or enhanced interrogation? ethnic cleansing? repudiation of Irish, Asian, Black, Hispanic? I mean when do we really practice that panacea of the "being true American"?

what is to be a true american?

mccarthyism? or watergate? Kennedy assasination? or civil rights struggle? invasion of other countries or the atomic bomb? vietnam or korea? taliban or russia? the berlin wall or economic sanctions?, (by the way have you noticed that when we impose economic sanctions, castro and kim jong il still eat the best food in the world and have all commodities, but their citizens starve to death and are in full poverty?), so who are we really "punishing" (if it can be claimed that we do), the rationale of the American soul needs a complete reinvention of the values that are attached to the core of each human that claims to be American.

we are Dorian's gray picture, still beautiful in the flesh, but the picture of ourselves is marked with the horrible scars of our historical misdeeds and wrongful acts, still we deny who we are and for what we stand, we claim that because we were born here, we automatically inherit the good values and we have the true American Soul within ourselves, when in reality there are many of us that simply speak english, but otherwise do not have a gram of goodness or humanity in our souls such that cna make us Americans, for what a real American shoudl stand for.

Notawhiner, (total freakin joke of a name) is your real name osama or something? Get the f#ck out of the US if you do not like it here. You bs like each and every person alive in the country personally played a part in all the nasty stuff you keep railing on and on about. Do you have any idea what you are rambling on about? Not likely since it is the same touchy-feely garbage recycled. You feel bad about this illegal who racked up 1.5 mil in medical bills, take your own money and pay his bills and impress the hell out of me. Not interested? That's peach, just keep your hand out of my pocket to pay everyone else's bills in the name of "humanity" and we'll be best buds. Nothing personal pal, you are just a loud example of how the disease of liberalism presents.

you are such an imbecile that is beyond belief , but let me get to the facts, my real name is irrelevant, I will not get out of the US but I will definitely try to find ways to get idiots like you to live in alaska with the great palin, each and every person that makes america should be morally responsible in off to understand that being an american is a process not your idiotic and unfounded selfgrandeur attitude of entitlement (unddeserved ofr what I see in your comments), do I have an idea of what I am talking about that you ramble and bark like an animal? of course I do, every single comment is a fact , and different than you I completely understand that the 1.5 million dollars was and is a complete unjstified act of thievery, and that the guy did not asked to be in that position and be charged such for the fancy cars and mansions of the merchants of death. further I do not need to impress an animal that is being raped by his own healthcare system and on top of that enjoys it, that is your problem, if any of my tax dollars pay part of the bill to care for a human being regardless of nationality or color, I am glad and proud to be american, but if I have to come across blodless imbeciles like you is when I feel shame to share that privilege with people like you brainless and simplistic up to the point that a plant has a better opinion and common sense.
of course there is nothing personal and I am not your "pal" we are at very different moral,social,intellectual,and ethical levels, I do not depart nor I have friends with such opinions as to let another human being die or be sick just because he does not have an acceptable legal status,color or religion (you see that is how hitler started, so be careful for what your rationale is), and of course liberlaism is not a disease but a medicine for the extremism, racism, xenophobia, interventionism and selfjustification fo the conservatives that are always trying to find ways to prove themselves worthy of the benefits that with so much luck they got as citizens of this country.

Press the call button notawhiner -- It's time for your med. (By the way, didn't they teach the concept of punctuation in your English literacy class?)

Get over it Sandra

Yes Lisa, once again we the American Taxpayer are footing the bill for these invading 3rd world parasites. NumbersUSA!! Join up send the letters and faxes. Give Them HELL!! Maybe, Just maybe they'll get the message. This is NOT an Aristocracy yet. They can still be voted OUT. Remind them of that fact!!

count me in, I am glad that I paid part of his bill with my taxes, good for my government that used my money for a noble cause....

You didnt pay anything for this guy, Because he was an illegal alien the hospital gets nothing for his care from the government.

Keep in mind that the Obabama's aunt is is elligal too...did I remember it correctly?

Where is she now???? Who do you think is paying for her lawyers? If she gets medical care, who pays for that?

Can you say ANCESTORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you say rule of law?

The hospital did the right thing. Period!

They gave him a helping hand, when he didn't have a pot to piss in, but now he has money to file suit?

The lawyer who is handling the guardian's suit is in all probability one of those slimy ambulance chasers. No up front retainer needed, because they work on contingency.earning $$ they only get paid if they win the suit.

Ya think this slimeball is motivated to win this case? YOU BET! He/She will pull out all the bleeding heart stops to do so. so he/she will get paid millions AND make a name for him/herself and be know as a "winner", which will result in other idiotic money-grubbing illegals seeking out that lawyer to file their suits for perceived injustices..

One more way the USA is getting taken advantage of by the undocumented/illegal aliens.

SEND ALL OF THEM BACK. It's be cheaper to pay their way back to wherever they snuck in from, than to pay for their medical care, educate their brats, feed them with food stamps provided by out tax dollars, and then they have the "big ones" to sue American hospitals and citizens.

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Shakespeare

Just look at California...........with all the rich Libs and still going under. They love the illegals, so let them pay for them.

we are

I know California. It is a Republican state. Who ever said that there were rich liberals in Cali? The gov is a rich conservative. Arnold Schwaenegger. Hence the ruination of the state. Get it right.

He gets in bed with a Dem........figure it out. Happy wife, happy life.LOL

They should have just dropped him off at Nancy Pelosi's Palace.........

DISGRACE! Are acutally avocating murder. Even in joking this is terribly disturbed in every possible way. You are responsible for every word that issues from your mind to others. Who knows who you're influencing with these ideas? Correct your statement and understand that life is precious regardless of who the person is, where he lives, what his nationality is, or how much money he has.

Pryzlock, our compassion disappeared when our politicians sold us out for cushy mansions and our insurance companies and health industry sold us down the river for profits. Our compassion disappeared when our construction workers sat idly by and watched their jobs disappear on the construction sites and the illegals showed up accepting $5 an hour. Our compassion disappeared when our neighbors got run over by unlicensed and uninsured illegals riding brand new cars that they got from...where?? Our compassion ran out when our children were shoved into overcrowed schools and had to share desks with children that should never have gotten over the border. Our compassion disappeared when we had to wait in line in an emergency room with a real emergency as all of the illegal immigrants overfilled the hospital with their anchor babies with the sniffles.

You asked... I answered. I voted for Obama but I do not expect him to be the idiot you expect him to be. Hopefully he'll disappoint you and not me.

Pryzlock, I appreciate the nice compliment, Coming from a bleeding heart idiot like you. I have no more compassion, it went out of the window when I found out that there are 35 - 40 milllion of these 3rd world PARASITES sucking the American People dry. My compassion left when I found out that there are 175 Amereicans that die each week at the hand of these illegal alien invaders. My compassion left when I found out that the Ameriecan Taxpayers are paying hundreds of Billions of doallrs each year. To Hell with YOU and your compassion!!!! Maybe you want to help pay for the 1.5 million dollar hospital bill.! Compassionate FOOL!!

Those we show compassion towards are the same who give us the finger. Think Somalia '92-'94. PS- I don't think Obama is gonna read your comment. He has other things to not read.

our so claimed compassion has been mostly a myth for the last 450 years, since slavery to Iraq... too much for selfgrandeur and selfgratification of the few good things we have done, too little to face reality and try to be true Americans, and try to be better instead of thinking that we actually just by the automatic luck of birthright.

Pryzlock -- was that a typo?? You sound more like "Prozak"

TOTALLY and completely agree with you! This is ridiculous. Suing on behalf of an illegal!? I can't even believe THAT is legal!

This is a sad story. The hospital will probably loose the case, or settle. (I wonder why his American relatives didn't sue the drunk driver that hit him?) As a country we are getting quite fed up with allowing illegal status people to dwell here and use up resources meant for our own people. At some point, we will have in place a national id system that will once and for all uncover people who do not belong here. I'm not sure I approve of that system, but it's coming. People who come here illegally should be ready to be sent back at the drop of a hat as soon as they are caught. Now, the hospital is required to provide life saving care to some one in an acute situation. Once he was stabilized, the life threatening condition was not a threat. His day to day care should not have to fall on the taxpayers. His own government does not have medicare, Medicaid or even a place that is suitable for him to remain in. THAT is the crime. The people who think what happened was wrong, should take up a collection to pay for his care. It's not that I personally wish him ill will. But considering we don't have enough money for real Americans health care, what happened here was a bit extreme. The hospital should have contacted immigration officials a long time before they did to get him home.

which parasites? the health insurance executives? or the doctors? or the actual hospital executives? look for the fancy car and the million dollar home and thatis exactly where the 1.5 million went, the same care he received for 1.5 million (claimed by the greedy hospital) could have been of a real value of lets say 100,000 in any other part of the world, so too much for medical care claimed to be that amount.
are you not covered? go and tell any doctor to treat you for free and you will see what you get...a kick...

Pryzlock...

You mention compassion... what about all of the hardworking citizens who can't afford medical care? What about the bill this guy ran up that is now divided up and added to our premiums...

We have compassion.... as United States Citizens, we have it. Remember how united we were after 9/11? Aware of all of the volunteers STILL helping people rebuild after Katrina? Americans will go to the farthest extent for each other.

However, breaking the law, and expecting the hospital that GAVE you over 1 million dollars of FREE care to give you an additional million just because they sent you back to your country? There is no compassion because the expectation is a bit high.

Just plain me.... I agree with you... !!!

tell the doctors and health insurance companies, as a matter of fact tell kaiser and nixon thanks for their reforming that created the current state of affairs as to hmos etc, but do not blame the guy for a bill that otherwise could have been 100,000 dollars, the fact that the hospital claims 1.5 million dollars cost of care is not the guy's fault, is the greed of the system.

Notawhiner, whining about how doctors overcharge doesn't help anything. Sure, I'm sure there is overcharging going on. My hair would probably curl if I knew. But a large part of that expense is because of people using the ER as a PCP and then walking out on the bill. Maybe that $1.5 million charge wouldn't have been so high if there weren't this big ER problem.

And - whether the bill is $100,000 or $1 million - who is going to pay it? That money doesn't just fall out of the sky. Taxpayers and the insured will pay for that with higher taxes and higher premiums. Unless you want to pay for this guy's care and have him stay at your house while he's being treated in the US. Do you?

The bottom line is, if all these illegals are coming over and draining our health care and other systems, the money will stop flowing at some point. What will you propose the US do for this guy and others like him when he continues to need care and there just simply isn't any more money to pay for it? Not only did he get $1.5 million in free care, he now wants another mil? What did he ever do for the US that was worth $2.5 million?

we are 27th in life expectancy, hence not that great....we have the highest incidence of cancer, pulmonary diseases, drug addiction and victims of violent crimes in the world, and on top of that we have the most expensive health care system in the world.

too much for a selfproclaimed Jedi, in truth tell you that we should have told arrivederci, adieu or even bye to your ancestors long ago, perhaps we could have been better off.
I read the part where you claimed that you read up until the Illegal and you formed an opinion of the issue at hand and then I immediately thought: what a moron! he formed his opinion without discerning any other facts! very intelligent of you

Why ship them to an island "Antarctica" has millions of square miles of barren soil.

Puerto Rico is a US territory moron.

lol

Uh, New York is part of the US - he was saying ship them to Puerto Rico...as an island that is part of the US. I think you have missed the point.

That was my point Mark, thanks for not being bright enough to figure that out. Where did the US rank in school spending? Must have been a lot less where you grew up.

Agreed that our country shouldn't have to bear the financial burden for this situation... but... My question is... did the drunk driver not have decent insurance coverage? I would like to know what happened to that person... hopefully they are sitting in a prison cell with not a dime to their name.

no insurance coverage was what the drunk driver had.......hey do you think that the illegals country would have kept and AMERICAN citizen in one of their hospitals and care for an AMERICAN citizen with no insurance..........sorry dead and buried

Runner..in answer to your question about the illegals' country...

Oh HAIL no!!!!

The other country would pop our injured ass on an ambulance, park at the border and demand payment from the victims family before they would turn them over.

This man entered this country illegally. He worked illegally. When he was injured, the hospital saved his life and cared for him, at great expense, for a very long time. He had no right to any of this...... it was provided gratis by the hospital authorities. So, then then sent him home because they could no longer deal with unending expenses. That hosptial should NOT be sued and the man should count himself very lucky that he is alive
please note the bold italics, it is not his fault that Mr.doctor needed a new mercedes, or that health executive needed new golf clubs....

I think they should sue the drunk driver :)

right that way they will ensure that the doctor and all the hospital personnel receive brand new cars and million dollar houses.

Doctors/surgeons who save lives DESERVE brand new cars!!! At the very least!!! Million dollar homes??? Still less than this leech costed the hospital!!

Yes, they deserve some rewards.........Their education costs 250k-300k,they work long hours, put up with all kinds of people (notawhiner), have to make enough to pay their workers(private practice), have to figure out all the stupid paperwork, pay high insurance, be on call, less family time...........I am a teacher, work hard, still think doctors should get paid more, THEY SAVE LIVES!!!!!!!!!