Comments on: International Patient Dumping

International Patient Dumping

Knappster — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:14:04 -0800

MexCare offers "An Alternative Choice for the Care of the Unfunded Latin American National."

The company caters to hospitals wishing to privately repatriate seriously ill but uninsured immigrants.

By: Dumsnill

Dumsnill — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:30:09 -0800

Oh get some universal healthcare system type thing already and be done with this nonsense. Work out an agreement with Canada and Mexico. Problem solveld.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:35:16 -0800

No, those sick Mexicans are just trying to take jobs away from sick Americans.

By: Naberius

Naberius — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:42:10 -0800

Mexcare. It costs more. But 60 Minutes won't find out.

By: Dumsnill

Dumsnill — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:44:12 -0800

Yes, but from now on I'm outsourcing my "l"s.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:54:11 -0800

Yes, but does the ambulance have hydraulics?

By: Forktine

Forktine — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:04:04 -0800

I'm getting really good at spotting which articles in the Times will become FPPs; when I read this one this morning I knew it was a slam dunk for MeFi. I was surprised when I read it — I had no idea one could do private deportations. I certainly have some neighbors whom I would dearly love to pay for their deportation. Just because they are fifth or eighth generation Americans doesn't mean that Ireland and Germany wouldn't like them back, right? It looks like (from the limited evidence of this article) that the hospital is pretty sharply in the wrong, and is going to pay dearly in court for it, too. At the same time, I have some sympathy for hospitals (not, however, to the point of being ok with their little rendition air service) because they are stuck in the middle of a broken system. They have a mandate to provide care, but there is neither a good preventative health system working to reduce unnecessary hospital visits, nor a good system for post-hospital care; those gaps in the health care system are magnified enormously when citizenship and legal status come into play.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:18:23 -0800

Other hospitals are more aggressive, routinely sending uninsured immigrants, both legal and illegal, back to their homelands. One Tucson hospital even tried to fly an American citizen, a sick baby whose parents were illegal immigrants, to Mexico last year; the police, summoned by a lawyer to the airport, blocked the flight. "It was horrendous," the mother said. Serious question: why do journalists say shit like "one Tucson hospital" and "the mother" instead of naming the hospital and the persons involved? Is it so they don't have to bother with fact-checking? I can't stand this practice and it seems incredibly widespread. Whats the deal?

By: jeffburdges

jeffburdges — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:21:59 -0800

Isn't this a good thing all around? It definitely doesn't seem weird. Repatriation insurance is mandatory when applying for a visa to many countries, say France, even if you don't have health insurance in your home country, like say the U.S.

By: nímwunnan

nímwunnan — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:01:44 -0800

Serious question: why do journalists say shit like "one Tucson hospital" and "the mother" instead of naming the hospital and the persons involved? Is it so they don't have to bother with fact-checking? I can't stand this practice and it seems incredibly widespread. Whats the deal? So they don't get sued. Or so victims or otherwise innocent parties can avoid having their names in the paper.

By: Xoebe

Xoebe — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:09:18 -0800

Just because they are fifth or eighth generation Americans doesn't mean that Ireland and Germany wouldn't like them back, right? Heh. I have a friend whose grandfather was an Irish immigrant in the early 1900s. He went back to Ireland and the EU on an extended honeymoon back in the 1990s. The first thing he did was to snag an Irish passport under some obscure hereditary-legacy law. He was then able to secure periodic employment in the EU, and he and his new bride were able to extend their budget honeymoon to a year long trip. I think in MexCare you are not seeing American hospitals dumping Mexican uninsured (ok, well, you are), but a group of intrepid North American health care professionals who see an opportunity and capitalize on it. In my preliminary scouting of the articles, I did not see a mention of the Mexican government's support of this system. Perhaps that is assumed. I am curious where the money is coming from to fund this. Hey, is this ironic? American citizens go to Mexico to get low cost health care, such as cancer therapy or breast enlargement. So do Mexicans! As I understand it, Americans spend more than twice as much, as a percent of national GDP, than any other country on the planet on health care. Including countries who cover ALL of their citizens in socialized or national medical programs. These same countries with their horrific national commie medical programs also report high satisfaction rates in the 90th percentile range. Oh wait, American health care good, socialised medicine bad, because The Right said so. I am going to write a letter to my congressman pointing out that that American military's health care system is the equivalent of communist socialism, and should be turned over in its entirety to privatized health care, such as Blue Cross. /rolleyes

By: holgagirl

holgagirl — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:27:07 -0800

Desperately hoping someone will repatriate me and my family to Italy, France or Spain. Seriously, anywhere in the EU will probably do. I have enough "mix" in me to send me almost anywhere in Europe or Africa. Please? It's not the travel cost stopping me, I want citizenship, too.

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:27:19 -0800

I was coming in here to see I was sick of these stupid fucking Yes Men prank sites. But apparently this is real.

By: micayetoca

micayetoca — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:47:45 -0800

In Services they advertise Escort Services. Are you sure this isn't run by Eliot Spitzer?

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:10:35 -0800

Boooooooooo! on the company not this post.

By: Jon_Evil

Jon_Evil — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:29:10 -0800

Either this is a Yes Men prank or I have seriously overestimated the level of quality required to make a big corporate website that deals with a political hot button issue. Looking at the locations page and it's one big arrow out of the US and into Mexico, I can't imagine even this level of brazenness. Oh sweet jesus, this better be a fake. Please.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:07:45 -0800

Hey, is this ironic? American citizens go to Mexico to get low cost health care, such as cancer therapy or breast enlargement. So do Mexicans! Mexico has been rolling out a Universal Health care system which should have everyone covered by 2010. Whats not free is cheap.

By: the cydonian

the cydonian — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:50:05 -0800

Jon_Evil: I don't know whether this is significant, but the absolute lack of ES_US / ES_MX (that's Spanish-English/ Spanish-Mexican) option is rather conspicuous, especially for a site that purportedly targets "unfunded Latin American nationals" (which is a fantastic phrase, btw). Well, if this isnt a prank, they sure should increase the funding for their website!