As the first year of a controversial $1 billion federal program to pay hospitals and other providers for illegal immigrants’ uncompensated emergency care comes to a close, only 15% of the money has been given out. “We are really not certain why providers are not claiming the money,” Herb Kuhn, head of the federal Center for Medicare Management, which administers the program, told the Chicago Tribune.
Hospital officials, public health experts, and immigrant advocacy groups have offered several reasons. One is onerous paperwork that cancels out financial benefits from the program. Another is government calculations that may drastically reduce hospital bills. Some providers also say a moral issue is involved. Because the program requires them to document whether patients are eligible for federal funds, providers and immigrant advocacy groups say they are skeptical of promises that patient information will not be turned over to immigration officials.
