Government
Bill would make ED check citizenship
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 9, 2004
Emergency department personnel would be required to report undocumented immigrants who come in for treatment, according to a bill introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R, Calif.) in January.
The measure would require hospitals that accept federal funds for care of illegal immigrants to ask patients if they are U.S. citizens and to report those who are not to the Dept. of Homeland Security. Rohrabacher opposed last year's Medicare bill because of a $1 billion provision funding care for illegal immigrants but said House leaders told him he could write legislation to mitigate the impact of that provision if he voted for the bill.
"If we know that an illegal alien is in the United States ... taking health care resources away from our people, they should be deported and their own country should be taking care of them," he said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/02/09/gvbf0209.htm.
