Cost Dispute Halts Airlift of Injured Haiti Quake Victims

[Robbien]

Source: El Paso Times

MIAMI — The United States has suspended its medical evacuations of critically injured Haitian earthquake victims until a dispute over who will pay for their care is settled, military officials said Friday.

. . .


In a round of finger-pointing, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said the decision to suspend the flights was made by the military, not the federal health department. A military spokesman said that the military had ended the flights because hospitals were becoming unwilling to take patients.

. . .

The Health and Human Services spokeswoman, Gretchen Michael, who works for the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, said the agency was reviewing Mr. Crist’s request for financial assistance. The request would involve activating the National Disaster Medical System, which is usually used in domestic disasters and which pays for victims’ care.

Some of the patients being airlifted from Haiti are American citizens and some are insured or eligible for insurance. But Haitians who are not legal residents of the United States can qualify for Medicaid only if they are given so-called humanitarian parole — in which someone is allowed into the United States temporarily because of an emergency — by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Only 34 people have been given humanitarian parole for medical reasons, said Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. The National Disaster Medical System, if activated, would cover the costs of caring for patients regardless of their legal status.



Read more: http://elpasoinc.com/readArticleNYT.aspx?guid=b38d8ed9-a533-739e-e538-6b124b63a449

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No insurance, no service. Period. That's the American way.

[unabelladonna]

1. as long as uninsured americans can't get medical care

why should we make an exception for haitians?

[Robbien]

2. Or for Katrina victims or Ike victims or any person needing help

Don't give us your tired, hungry, poor or any dumb sap who has the misfortune of getting in the way of Mother Nature.

Who do you think we are? This is America. Capitalism rulz.

[EFerrari]

3. Seriously. Let them die on the tarmac.

[naaman fletcher]

4. agreed.

I'm not trying to be a jerk but I don't see why any non-citizens should get free medical care before every american does.

[tavalon]

11. Who said before?

If we were a civilized country, we would already have universal health care for all of our citizens. But since we're not and this is a disaster of epic proportions, they do get to skip to the head of the line. There shouldn't be a line but there you have it.

[Land Shark]

17. I don't have health care but don't begrudge Haitians this (how awful the thought of denying...)

When did we say RIP to compassion?

[boppers]

7. Jeebus, missing a sarcasm tag?

Well, here's an answer:
We didn't just have our capitol city destroyed by an earthquake.

When 9/11 hit, we weren't checking medical cards for emergency care.

When Katrina hit, we weren't checking citizenship papers before putting a bandage on somebody.

This kind of anti-human nationalism is nothing short of morally reprehensible, both inside, and outside, of US borders. Just because it's wrong here doesn't mean we should spread it to others.

[Downwinder]

5. Why am I not surprised?? n/t

[kestrel91316]

6. Freebies for other countries' citizens but medical bankruptcies for US

is just plain wrong.

We all know the solution, and it doesn't involve letting Haitians die of earthquake injuries. Sigh.

SINGLE PAYER NOW!!!!!!!!

[JDPriestly]

8. How ironic. This cruel Act of God casts the spotlight on the

inadequacy of our medical insurance system.

Perhaps Americans will now see how inadequate the pay to play system of allocating medical services is.

Single payer now.

[drdtroit]

9. +1 n/t

[fascisthunter]

18. Nah... Americans would rather over pay for less... that's the American Way

boy have the elite convinced Americans anything socialized is bad. Morons..

[dipsydoodle]

10. Doesn't the aid which the USA promised Haiti cover this ?

:shrug:

If not then surely humanitarian aid in the form of funds from elsewhere would do so anyway.

Or - is the aid promised from here there and everywhere just a myth ?

[Igel]

15. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

All it takes, for the most part, is somebody saying, "We will pay for this." Somebody with authority over the money, and in writing.

Otherwise it's a forced donation.

[elleng]

12. Report: Military Airlift of Quake Victims Halted

Source: nyt/ap

The U.S. military says it has halted flights carrying Haitian earthquake victims to the United States in a dispute over medical care costs.

The New York Times reported Saturday the evacuations were suspended Wednesday after Florida Gov. Charlie Crist asked the federal government to help pay for care.

Military officials say Florida has treated over 500 quake victims. They say airlifts to other states treating victims have been halted, too.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/30/us/AP-US-Medical-Airlift-Haiti.html?_r=1

[flyarm]

13. I do know Miami stopped taking the plane loads..so they were then coming into Tampa..it was on our

news..and we started getting about 10 plane loads last week a day..and those were just the ones landing at Tampa International..the news didn't disclose how many were coming through McDill AFB in Military medical airlifts, down the road from TPA.
I do know, our news was saying..that the people of Fla will be getting price hikes to pay for all the free care going on..And that Miami Hospitals can not absorb anymore.

I also heard the estimates of them bringing in 45,000 Haitians in Florida..displaced people.

I don't know how accurate that is.

[flyarm]

14. dupe

[mbperrin]

16. Well, they're just people of color, anyway, so who gives a shit?

If I really need a sarcasm tag here, you're further gone than even I think, and that ain't good.