Speech #1010021032

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to introduce legislation which has been before the Congress before to alleviate a problem that has continued to grow since this body first addressed the issue in the mid1970sthe great costs of health care services provided to undocumented workers and who pays for these costs. We must recognize that it is because the Federal Government has failed to enforce our immigration laws that undocumented workers are in this country in the numbers in which they are here and Congress must be prepared to face up to this responsibility and assume the resulting costs. With health care costs reaching exorbitant proportions and with the Federal Governments continued inability to control illegal immigration. hospitals. and physicians nationwide have continued to provide costly services which go uncompensated. Public and nonprofit hospitals have in particular assumed much of this burden. contributing to the crisis which many of our Nations hospitals are experiencing as a result of inadequate Medicare reimbursements and other factors. Perhaps at one point this problem was only inherent in cities along our countrys Southwestern border. where many undocumented workers enter and leave the country. But more and more this is becoming a problem for our countrys large urban centers such as Miami. Los Angeles. and Chicago. The legislation I am introducing today would provide reimbursement for the emergency medical treatment for undocumented workers and commuter workers. which is often the most costly type of care available. Only that portion of the cost of care which the individual is unable pay and which no other public assistance program will cover would be reimbursable under this bill. Also. emergency medical treatment in my bill is defined to include treatment required in the course of labor and childbirth. which along our Nations Southwestern border. is very common treatment for nonnationals to seek.