Keep in mind that this article deals with Arizona, and also that I'm not a doctor—but last time I went through INOVA Fairfax (our largest local hospital here in Northern Virginia), over 2/3rds of the E.R. waiting room was filled with "foreign nationals" with various non-emergency-looking maladies.
This, of course, is only one reason of many—but it's a rather big one:
PHOENIX (AP) — The federal government has reimbursed Arizona hospitals and doctors $92 million over the past two years to offset unpaid bills for emergency care provided to undocumented immigrants.
Arizona hospital executives say they are grateful for the financial help, but it’s still not enough to offset the bulk of costs associated with providing emergency health care to illegal immigrants.
To make up the shortfall, hospitals say they are forced to raise the costs of basic hospital services for everyone else. [Ed.:—This Means Us.]
...
Carondelet operates one hospital in Nogales at the U.S.-Mexican border and three in the Tucson area. The Carondelet hospitals provided about $15.5 million worth of care to immigrant patients over the past two years, and the hospital network collected $2.4 million under the program, the company said.
That means less than 16 percent of the hospital group’s undocumented-immigrant-related bills were paid.
How do these "non-payers" get treated for free?
I go in to an emergency room and the first thing they want from me is paperwork filled out in triplicate stating how I can pay, how much my salary is, who my insurance is and the names and addresses of 10 relatives of mine who will pay if I can't.
I wouldn't even be allowed through the remaining doors without a means to pay. How is it that people with only headaches, and even people who are unable to speak english, are given care first, allowed to leave, and then taxpayers are billed?
I say, if there is a fever above 101, there is blood flowing, something broken, or the patient is unable to respond coherently then they should be allowed admittance into the hallowed halls of the emergency room. If they are brought in via an ambulance, then their admittance is automatic as the ambulance crew are gatekeepers.
They are better gatekeepers than the triage nurses at the hospital.
No, there is no reason to turn patients away. Just refer them to the main hospital and make an appointment for them. Then have someone walk them over to be seen by a family practitioner. Let that doctor determine the patients severity and ability to pay.