Whose Healthcare is it anyway?

From the Nevada University Medical Center:

“Our people are really torn,” said Brian Brannman, UMC’s chief operating officer. “We want to take care of people who are ill. We’re proud that we can save lives. But our employees are also worried about the survival of UMC. They know that the appetite of taxpayers for helping undocumented immigrants is limited.”

Since April, UMC has been spending about $2 million per month providing emergency dialysis services to 80 illegal immigrants, Brannman said.

He projects that these services at UMC could run more than $24 million in the current fiscal year.

In each of the five prior years, the hospital provided the same emergency services to half as many illegal immigrants for a little more than $1 million per month.

Brannman said the hospital receives no reimbursement from federal, state or local sources to provide this life-saving treatment for people who have entered the country illegally.

But under federal law, any patient who shows up at an emergency department requesting an examination or treatment for a medical condition must be given an appropriate medical screening to determine whether there is an emergency. If there is, treatment must be provided.

“When we’re projecting a budget deficit of $70 million for fiscal year 2010, you can see that $24 million in dialysis treatment that’s not reimbursed is an awfully big chunk,” Brannman said.

UMC health care professionals say discussion of how to reform the nation’s health care system must include how to shore up taxpayer-supported hospitals, strained to the breaking point by following the law to care for those who are breaking it…

…”The federal government kicked the can down the road on the immigration issue and gave the bill to us,” Brannman said. “This is a federal policy failure that is driving huge health care costs to our citizens.”

Balancing Act

This is the time of year when the best commercial on TV comes on. It is a bunch of ecstatic parents singing "It's the most wonderful time, of the year!" This is a "back to school" commercial for Staples. Most parents are still trying to piece together childcare and all in the weeks post camp but pre school year. Most moms are beginning to run out of "rainy day activities" and some even will guiltily admit that they can not wait until their children leave them to return to the routine of school.

One of my friends blogged about Lisa Belkin who has written some articles and books on the topic of "balance". I agree with her that most of us just try to do our best and meet the challenges before us. The rest of it is the polarizing stuff that women tend to beat themselves up with, and why? I don't hear men talking about "balance" very much, do you?

I have met Lisa and she had attended a networking group I helped to found. She lifted some of the stories she wrote about from things she heard, no crime there of course! I don't think I have really learned anything "new" from this type of writing and instead I think a lot of women find reason to judge one another.

There are a lot of "full circle moments" as we age. You think back to the choices you made, or were forced to make and look at what happened--good bad or unexpected. Mostly it is all good. If you have the right attitude.

Of course this is the first year that we are sending our 18 year old to college and it is a bit more bittersweet than earlier years where the quiet that descended on the house was so welcome after the first bus came and went.

I guess what we all have to remember is NEVER WISH TIME AWAY.