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Originally posted by smooth
... I can't really think of an issue a hospital would be going bankrupt over, however...
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The Arizona Republic
February 07, 2003
By : Sergio Bustos
WASHINGTON - GOP members of Arizona's congressional delegation want to know how many immigrants, illegal and even legal, are using local hospitals. The request comes at a time when border states are clamoring for federal dollars to reduce costs related to illegal immigration.
In Arizona, the need is urgent because of next year's projected $1 billion budget deficit.
Lawmakers have long argued that the federal government's failure to keep out illegal immigrants means local and state governments must pay to jail them or provide them medical treatment.
Led by Rep. John Shadegg, R-Phoenix, lawmakers asked for the data in a letter sent Thursday to Michael Garcia, acting commissioner for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
"We are trying very hard to force the federal government to pay the costs that its policies are imposing on Arizona's hospitals and health care providers," Shadegg said. "The information we are seeking will help us make that case."
All six of Arizona's House Republicans and its two GOP senators, Jon Kyl and John McCain, signed the letter. Democratic Reps. Ed Pastor of Phoenix and Raul Grijalva of Tucson declined to sign it.
"We are deeply concerned about the increasing burden being placed on Arizona hospitals and health care facilities as a result of treating individuals crossing the Arizona-Mexico border," the lawmakers wrote.
They want to know specifically the number of illegal immigrants who required medical attention after coming into contact with U.S. Border Patrol agents. The INS, which includes the Border Patrol, won't pay medical bills unless illegal immigrants are in their physical custody.
The lawmakers also want accurate numbers of foreigners admitted monthly into the country for "humanitarian" reasons.
Under federal law, the U.S. attorney general can "parole" any foreigner into the country on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons.
INS rules require foreigners to file written requests for humanitarian entry. INS officials said Thursday permission is only granted "sparingly" and in "very compelling" emergencies.
Lawmakers said the massive flow of illegal immigrants, especially through Arizona in recent years, has wreaked financial havoc on hospitals near the border.
About 1 million to 2 million people illegally cross the Arizona border each year.
A study released last September by the U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition, a group of local and state government leaders from border communities, found that illegal immigrants racked up $190 million in unpaid bills at 77 border hospitals in 2000. Arizona border hospitals provided $31 million worth of uncompensated care.
The figure did not include Maricopa County, which estimates its costs at more than $50 million.
Kyl plans to introduce a bill next week that would reimburse all states for providing emergency medical care for illegal immigrants, said Matt Latimer, the senator's spokesman.
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Hiring Spanish speaking teachers is a non-issue. That is, unless you don't feel that legal immigrants don't have a right to learn in their native language. I would like to see data supporting the claim that hiring teachers to deal with illegal immigrants is actually bankrupting our education system. Last I checked, federal aid and local taxes are more directly to blame for budget concerns. Perhaps we should be mindful that generations of Spanish speaking families have been living in these areas longer than the US has held a claim on them as a nation. [/B]
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Bilingual spending falls short
Court order puts state in a jam
Chip Scutari
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 11, 2001
A federal judge could cut federal funds, shut down schools or slap the state with additional taxes if Arizona doesn't spend more to teach students who are new to English.
Despite voter approval of Proposition 203 to restrict bilingual education, the state remains under court order to help students overcome language barriers.
A report released Wednesday by Senate Democrats estimates that it would cost an additional $170 million a year to meet the court's demands. Taxpayers now spend about $20 million on bilingual education programs. The shortfall, according to the report, could throw a wrench into the state's fiscal forecast if a judge rules that current spending is insufficient.
Legislators are being warned to take heed.
"(Federal District Court) Judge Alfredo Marquez is clearly annoyed at the state," Assistant Attorney General Lynne Adams said Wednesday.
"The state has been found in violation of a federal law. This judge has indicated his intolerance for the situation. The Legislature needs to appropriate money to solve this problem."
Also on Wednesday, confusion swirled over education chief Lisa Graham Keegan's statement earlier in the week that she would allow bilingual education to continue under some circumstances. Proponents of Proposition 203 argued that the law bans bilingual education in most cases. Keegan says requirements are more vague.
The 1992 case Flores vs. Arizona prompted the Democratic cost study. It found that current funding wasn't enough to ensure that students overcame language barriers. The case is an extension of the Equal Education Opportunity Act of 1974, a federal law that prohibits states from denying education opportunties based on race, color, sex or national origin.
Currently, Arizona spends about $150 on every student who is classified as an "English learner." The study says about $1,500 per student would fulfill the judge's ruling.
There are about 125,000 bilingual students in Arizona.
Besides the language provision, the judge also criticized overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of qualified teachers and teacher aides.
Some Republicans are skeptical of the cost estimates in the Democrats' report.
"We've got to get students learning English as soon as possible," said Sen. Ken Bennett, R-Prescott and chairman of the Senate education committee.
"But I doubt that it costs another $171 million in the budget to do this."
In October, Marquez ordered the state to do a cost study for bilingual education before the Legislature convened for their regular session on Jan. 8.
That never happened.
The Department of Education tried to put out a contract in mid-December, but there were no takers. The department is now trying to find a firm to do the cost study.
Christy Anderson, Gov. Jane Hull's policy adviser, said the state isn't overlooking the seriousness of the situation.
"It's on the governor's radar screen," Anderson said. "It's important to find out what dollars are already being spent on these types of programs and where the money is coming from."
Anderson said Hull didn't include this in the budget she released this week because she didn't have accurate numbers.
Tim Hogan, an attorney who successfully sued the state over school-construction financing, said he'll be watching to see if the Legislature takes care of business.
"The state will have a big problem if they continue to blow this off," said Hogan, a public interest lawyer who worked on the Flores case. "They are establishing a record of disavowing court orders. I have to presume the state will follow the law. But if they do what they've done in the past, they will do nothing."