Speech #1010102505

Arizona. Texas. and Florida. From most of them I have heard the same story: despite the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and increased border patrols. aliens continue to stream into the United States. When those aliens are wounded. they receive care at American trauma centersno questions asked. Heres the problem. In most cases. a trauma center will learn of the immigration status of a patient only after it tries to collect for the thousands of dollars of care it has provided. Frequently. an undocumented alien will lie about his address because he fears deportation. If a hospital cannot establish residence for the patient. it has no hope of qualifying him for Medicaid or IRCA assistance. Ultimately. all along the border. hospitals must write off millions of dollars in bad debt. Mr. Speaker. I rise today. along with nine of my colleagues from the border States. to Introduce legislation designed to provide some assistance to trauma centers which must treat illegal aliens. The bills these cases generate now threaten the availability of care for all patients. The Trauma Care Center Alien Compensation Act of 1989 provides $20 million in each of the fiscal years 1990 through 1993 to trauma centers which can show they have incurred at least 15 percent of their unrelmbursed trauma expenses from treating Illegal aliens. While this formula may be subject to change. I believe it addresses the most dramatic needs of the various trauma centers and will help many to stay in business. One of the obstacles I have encountered in preparing this bill lies in the nature of the data I have attempted to collect. Because no reimbursement Is available. most hospitals do not keep accurate records of their unreimbursed trauma costs due to undocumented patients. Further. local sensitivities about aliens and the threat of legal action have discouraged some trauma centers from even attempting to develop estimates. A 1987 General Accounting Report for the House Appropriations Committee came to the same conclusion.