Border Crisis: Denver Hospital System Might Collapse Due to Influx of Illegal Immigrants
“What I think is not being said is that Denver Health is at a critical, critical point, and that we need to take this up in 2024. Because our costs exceed our revenues, we are turning down patients every day, particularly in the area of mental health and substance abuse.”
The Denver Health system is on the verge of collapse due to the influx of illegal immigrants.
The system lost around $2 million in 2023.
From The Denver Post:
In 2023, Denver Health provided about $136 million in care that it didn’t receive compensation for, CEO Donna Lynne told the Denver City Council’s finance and government committee last week. That figure includes care to people covered by Medicaid when the rates the program paid didn’t cover the full costs, she said. About $100 million of that went to people living in Denver.
One-time donations of $5 million from the state and $10 million from Kaiser Permanente Colorado helped to narrow the gap. Typically, hospitals make up their uncompensated care through the higher rates they can charge private insurance, but patients with private coverage account for less than 15% of all those seeking care at Denver Health, which is lower than most hospitals in the area.
Denver Health cut costs last year by closing 15 beds that could be used for patients needing psychiatric or addiction treatment, reducing the raises it had planned as a way to retain employees, and postponing renovations on its oldest clinics, Lynne said.
Lynne added: “What I think is not being said is that Denver Health is at a critical, critical point, and that we need to take this up in 2024. Because our costs exceed our revenues, we are turning down patients every day, particularly in the area of mental health and substance abuse.”
Denver has only received 8,000 illegal immigrants in the last year and 36,000 since December 2022.
They have made around 20,000 visits to Denver Health seeking help for “dental emergencies, mental health counseling and childbirth.”
Imagine what Arizona and Texas have been going through, especially the small border towns! They see thousands cross the border every day.
Denver Health does not ask about a person’s immigration status. However, personnel identified those without medical insurance came from foreign countries. From The Denver Gazette:
This group of patients were identified as new to Denver Health, as those without medical insurance and from one of the following countries: Colombia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Lion share are from Venezuela, a country in which more than 7 million people have fled the brutal regime.
It’s not just adults.
Denver Health is also experiencing record patient volumes among those younger than 18, with a 10% to 15% increase demand in pediatric care.
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Comments
This is exactly why every last one of these folks with asylum claims should be required to have a sponsor to bear the financial cost. Lets see exactly how many US Citizens will sign up to put their on money on the line and I wager that support drops off a cliff.
for example, I would sponsor my daughter-in-law. Or some friends I have met over the years. But not a random person who broke into my house.
And that is why every last one of these folks with asylum claims should be required to make those claims at their local U.S. embassy in their country origin for determination whether their claims of “persecution” or what not are legitimate before they are allowed to cross the border into the United States.
And yes, I also agree that each and every one should be required to have a U.S. citizen sponsor that will agree to take all financial responsibility from them while they are going through the citizenship process. No exception.
And Congress should also pass Resolutions amending the U.S. Constitution and remove the reconstruction amendments (Amend. 13, 14, 15) that serve no useful purpose at this point and only encourage things such as “anchor babies” and the like.
Well, well. We actually have a full blown racist in Lucifer Morningstar. Remove the 13th Amendment, you say. You mean the one which abolished slavery? Sorry, Lucifer, but you don’t get to own any slaves. I know this must disappoint you, but you will have to learn to live with it.
What? you think he’s a democrat?
The only person I have ever heard making the argument to repeal the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution is Lucifer here on LI. This is really sick.
🥱
One trick pony in a failed circus.
Yes, you and Trump should campaign on the issue of repealing the 13th Amendment. See how well that goes for you.
Well, well. We actually have a full blown idiot in JR. . If you haven’t effing noticed every state Constitution abolishes slavery in their respective states. Each and every one. So whether or not it’s in the U.S. Constitution is a moot point. Again, every effing state constitution abolishes slavery and makes it illegal. So yes, let’s get rid of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment. Won’t make slavery legal as slavery is abolished and illegal in every state of the Union.
And sorry to disappoint you, but I never wanted to own slaves. Never. So take your sanctimonious BS and shove it where the Sun most definitely don’t shine. M’Kay?
So if every state had a part of their constitution that said the same things as the 1st and 2nd amendments to the U.S. Constitution, then you would argue and campaign on the issue of repealing the 1st and 2nd amendments to the US Constitution? You are insane.
Lucifer, I don’t think you even graduated from Junior High School. You are so uneducated.
The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States (Article VI, Clause 2) establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the “supreme Law of the Land”, and thus take priority over any conflicting state laws. It provides that state courts are bound by, and state constitutions subordinate to, the supreme law
Wow JR. You continue to make an ass of yourself.
Just drop the shovel.
No one here is advocating bringing back slavery.
But I do have a question for you.
There are more slaves in the world today, many here in the US, than there were when slavery was legal.
What have YOU done to end the mass slavery of young girls and women, as well as boys, stuck in the sex slave trade?
Or will that keep you from boning a 10 year old girl?
The asylum claims are invalid. We do not have a]to accept anyone, of course, but even those seeking political asylum should be forced to remain in countries like Mexico.
We should deport all of the invaders.
As someone who sponsored my wife, I agree.
End asylum, throw those parasites’ out. This is insane.
I agree that 99.9% of the asylum claims are BS. Yet they are still being made b/c each Presidential election can sweep a new set of policies into the Executive Branch.
The next time we have a majority in both HoR and Senate +POTUS the answer is to pass legislation that requires a sponsor to foot the bill. Then if/when another d/prog gets elected POTUS they may be able to relax border security but everyone they decide to let in will have to have a US Citizen as the Sponsor to pay the bills.
Yeah, because Dem Presidents are so particular about obeying and enforcing laws they don’t like.
Those d/prog Presidents can be taken to CT and have their actions halted, just like with the Student loan bailout.
The goal should be to adopt some of the same sorts of tactics the d/prog use to indirectly and directly limit the range of actions for that d/prog Admin. IOW play offense or at least a more ‘active defense’ instead of passively waiting for the next boondoggle and then complaining about whatever policy monstrosity gets enacted when we failed to exercise options to prevent or at least mitigate the damage.
It is already law and has been for decades that immigrants need a sponsor for five years.
Illegal aliens get a pass.
Our laws are not being enforced, and the only remedy is impeachment and removal, which is not going to happen.
Erronius
They have made around 20,000 visits to Denver Health seeking help for “dental emergencies, mental health counseling and childbirth.”
Childbirth? Childbirth?!?? These illegals are going to the hospital and having their anchor babies for free?!?? Time to repeal the EMTLA or amend it so that it applies only to U.S. citizens. Not every pregnant illegal woman that can make it over the border.
It costs US taxpayers about 85,000$ to have that baby without insurance
Ilegals, it free, to them, but you and I get to pay
“Ilegals, it free, to them, but you and I get to pay”
For the rest of our lives….
When common sense prevailed, we faced invaders with guns. Today, we give invaders free healthcare, food, shelter, schooling, and work permits.
Is it any wonder that the invaders of today are killing the country?
So your solution: is that we machine gun all of the people illegally crossing our border,s Yes, that is a winning campaign issue for Trump.
JR, you and the dickless politicians that you’ve supported created this situation. Maybe if you conservatives had actually conserved anything, it may be different now. And you still support the same course. Good job, nancy.
Works for me. Get them before they get us.
What a fkg moron. Are you really this stupid?
You mother would be ashamed.
Oh, you don’t have to shoot them. Simply turn them around and force them to walk back into Mexico. Make it very clear that I’m not allowed to come in without the proper procedures. That would be go get a visa.
Maybe simply deport anyone looking for free services. A little less dramatic but more effective
Long, long ago I worked for a while at the Main Denver General Hospital, in the badge and gun category. If you have sudden trauma or cardiovascular problems; that is where you want to go. But for a long time their clinics have been full of welfare cases and all of Denver Health is a money loser. One thing that might help is to reduce the number of administrators . . . nah, never gonna happen.
Subotai Bahadur
No, reduce the ilegals! Administration can be decreased but it’s the ilegals causing these problems
Reduce both. I was involved in some mergers and acquisitions, they always involved pruning, sometimes massive slashing. Lean & mean.
Ah, yes, the knife and gun club. My wife worked there many years ago. The absolute best ER in Colorado to be treated for violent trauma for many decades.
They should start billing the NGO’s that are bring them across. The Catholic church is partly responsible for that.
Catholic, Baptist, all of them
I left the Lutheran church over this very issue.
The NGOs take care of them after they are across. The NGO’s get their money from the government. So billing the NGO just ends up costing the taxpayer.
The guys who actually bring them across are the cartels who make billions of dollars on human trafficking. Hardly any illegal makes it across the border without putting several thousand into the cartel’s pocket. Who did the cartel pay in the US to get such a sweet deal?
You got to wonder what Mr 10% cut is
Just turn them AWAY. Don’t treat them. Don’t! Do people walk into a restaurant with no money and say I’m hungry, feed me??? Should be the same with hospitals!!!
They are mandated by Federal law.
I’m well aware of that. Essentially an unfunded mandate. Every hospital needs to turn them away. There is strength in numbers. We can’t continue to go down this road.
Which needs to be changed.
Given that law’s harm to the citizens and the country, and that it forces taxpayers to ultimately pay the costs, it is unconstitutional.
If you are a legal type perhaps you can answer this… not allowed to turn away illegals who have broken into our country BUT a hospital group in MA has published rules that if they don’t like your tone or body language say you roll your eyes at a pronoun pin…they can and will refuse medical services to you… legal or not?
The federal Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTLA) requires hospitals to treat everyone regardless of ability to pay. Until that law changes hospitals cannot turn anyone away at the emergency room door.
It requires an evaluation and then treatment to stabilize the the individual. There are ways to deal with folks coming in without emergency issues. Triage and then kick the non emergency cases out the door.
Since EMTLA applies to hospitals that:
1. Have an ER
2. Accept Medicare
The Hospitals could get creative and have their ER operate under a separate organizational set up. The ER is now not part of the ‘Hospital’ but a separate, entity.
They would get hammered in the press. State and Federal law makers would be PO. All sorts of leftist activists would be protesting outside and raising hell.
The hospitals that refuse to take basic measures to defend themselves and instead opt to go bankrupt while demanding ever greater govt subsidies to subsidize their refusal to defend themselves are gonna go out of business. The system is not sustainable.
“requires hospitals to treat everyone regardless of ability to pay.”
JR: “Remove the 13th Amendment, you say. You mean the one which abolished slavery? Sorry, Lucifer, but you don’t get to own any slaves.”
But Pablo and Mahmoud clearly can. So why pretend that the 13th Amendment means jackshit?
No. EMTALA requires that Emergency Rooms treat everyone.
Close the emergency room. LA hospitals have been doing that for 20 years.
Erronius
I am actually happy to hear this. Denver passed a law to be a sanctuary city. So, the residents and their institutions should bear the entire burden of that decision. I hope the hospital fails, I hope the jails are over run, I hope taxes are raised to an unconscionable level. Total and absolute failure.
That’s the only way that people can be held responsible for their stupid decisions.
Is it legal for Denver Hospital to ask about residency status? Could they simply deny service to illegals on the grounds they can’t afford tens of thousands of non-paying patients?
Or is Denver hoping to move to a Democrat state funded healthcare model?
No, Unfortunately they can’t turn them away simply cuz they can’t pay. It’s called EMTALA and it’s the reason hospitals cost so much. Because they can’t bill the people that can’t pay, they raise the cost for everybody else. So when you’re overpaying for your hospital services, what you really doing is paying for all of the deadbeats That Couldn’t carry their own weight
The idiots that run Denver made themselves a sanctuary city, Colorado made itself a sanctuary state, now they’re getting to reap what they’ve sown. When you make criminals welcome, criminals will come and they will rob the hell out of you. Enjoy what you’ve created colorado, and don’t come looking for me to pay for a damn bit of it
The problem is that the locusts won’t remain in Colorado.
Wait till every hospital in California fails due to free healthcare for all illegals… not just emergency life saving… everything for free up to and including sex change operations and the life long care that results…. Woo hoo
The next phase for Denver Health is critical critical critical.
Sooner or later there will come a point in time when people will have to decide which is more important: the citizens of our country or the illegal migrants of foreign countries. Which will have more rights, the legal taxpayers or the illegal aliens? As rich as America is, it cannot sustain indefinitely supporting the demands illegals place on health care, housing, education, etc.
Invaders must be turned back by whatever means works. Period. If that means electrifying a border fence, so be it. It that means razor wire so be it. No one is forcing these people to come, it is their own decision. If they are supposedly fleeing bad circumstances, that is too bad but it is not America’s duty to throw open the country to any and all regardless of the reason. I have never understood the push for ‘immigration reform”. There are immigration laws on the books already. What purpose do they serve? Looks to me like not much. The border ought to be shut and anyone seeking entry made to do it legally. Period.
Lexi,
The politicians in charge, and the citizens who elect them, have already decided in favor of the illegal immigrants over citizens.
Are you aware of the city run tent city in Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn?
It was decided the tent city was insufficient protection for the recent cold front.
So the illegals were bussed into Midwood high school in Brooklyn, and the children were told to stay home.
A clear case of preferring illegals over citizen children.
You can bet the Democrat voters in Brooklyn will continue to vote Democrat
“Imagine what Arizona and Texas have been going through, especially the small border towns! They see thousands cross the border every day.”
Beat me to it. These illegal freeloaders have already shut down small rural hospitals of ours. Now it’s happening to the limousine libs in Denver? Aw. Cope and seethe. I mean, hopes and prayers.