(NewsNation) — When it comes to the cost of treating uninsured patients, including migrants, the numbers don’t lie, and some health systems are on the verge of collapse from the cost.
Emergency hospitals have historically had to take on the burden of uninsured Americans. By law, nobody can be turned away without the emergency care they need.
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But health care systems such as a major one in Denver are simply on the verge of collapse.
Last year, Denver Health provided about $130 million in uncompensated care. About $10 million of that was for migrant care. From October through December of 2023, migrants made up one-tenth of the visits.
“One out of every four migrants who has come to Denver has come to Denver Health for health care,” said Dr. Steve Federico. “So, we saw 20,000 visits. That is a lot of care we weren’t planning on giving.”
It’s a trend that is happening across the country. Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services data show that nationally, total Medicaid costs for emergency services for noncitizens in 2021 alone totaled more than $7 billion. The costs for the following fiscal year added up to $5.4 billion.
National statistics show immigrants in the country illegally are far less likely to be insured than American citizens, with some statistics putting that number around 60%.
The CEO of Denver Health, Donna Lynn, told NewsNation the system is unable to properly care for its properties and patients.
“We can’t invest in the things many other hospitals can invest in,” Lynn said. “We had to take beds out of operation, had we been able to invest, we might not have seen that happen.”
Denver Health officials say they need to hire more staff if they are going to continue to see the flow of people needing care, with funds coming either from the federal government or private donations.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved $5 million in state funding to keep the hospital system afloat, KUSA-TV reported.