One thing that was conspicuously absent from the Nov. 5 cover article, “Underinsured and overstretched,” was the effect of the illegal aliens in this county on the hospital. I would assume that, considering all the pregnant illegals walking around the streets of Santa Maria, they are having their babies at Marian. How many actually pay for that? What is the cost of having a baby there: $5,000? $10,000? How many actually pay their hospital bills: one percent? Five percent? I’d be interested to know.
What about using the emergency room as a doctor visit? When I broke my collarbone, I received four pain pills, at the cost of $15 each. Which I paid. Is this surcharge (with a prescription, they are less than 50 cents each) to pay for the people that don’t pay?
And David Stockdale, I can see how he is worried about his livelihood. But to toe the Republican party line about losing liberty is kind of misleading. Teri Summers had a much more realistic view of things.
Good article.
This article appears in Nov 12-19, 2009.