I have a few thoughts, Ms King.
1. I hope that the status (legal or financial) of whomever you are treating does not affect your treatment of that patient. After all, they are a human being, and you are a medical professional trained to treat human beings, and not just citizens or "legals" whom have some money or insurance. I'm sorry if I have misinterpreted your venting to be that of a nurse, instead of that of a taxpayer.
Is this topic something that you or other staff grouses about daily at the nurses station, or in the break room ? - it's toxic and can cloud one's judgment and perspective. The patient's immigration status or ability to pay should not cloud your professional work, if your hospital made the decision to accept people without the ability to pay.
The only thing professionals should be seeing when they enter a patient's room is another human being who needs their skills. If it does affect your outlook, maybe you should look for a different job in a hospital that does not accept these types of patients and focus on being a nurse. Then again, it might not pay as well.
2. Many of the game's rules were written in Congress by New England politicians with large amounts of voters with foreign origins in their districts, or by do-gooders. The only thing you can do to change this is to vote for someone who shares your views.
3. Immigration laws were written so that any child born in the US is a US citizen, regardless of their mother's legal status. Again, the only way to change this is by voting. Them's the rules of the game as written by politicians. Are you blaming mommy for playing by the rules as they stand to give her unborn child what she perceives as an advantage?
Do you now want to involve Immigration in Healthcare, and verify each patient's immigration status and legality, before commencing any form of treatment? If so, that's what is clogging up the healthcare system - too many many people involved, too many forms, too much INFORMATION. Get on with the treatment.
In the DR, any child born in the DR is also dominican, IF their mother has legal status in the DR at the time of birth. Who wrote those rules ? Dominican politicians who know that the issue of not allowing illegal Haitian (or other nationalities) mothers to gain Dominican citizenship for their new children is important to their supporters.
4. As far as receiving other forms of help offered following a birth, like WIC, etc - there are plenty of "white trash" and other folks in the US who also take advantage of the same programs. How are they any different - luck of birth, better game players, what?
To me there is no difference between a US citizen who is an unmarried woman living in the South Bronx who has never worked a day in her life but managed to have 4 kids by 4 different men, and a dominicana (or any other nationality) who managed to get to the US by any means possible to have her kid(s), and plays by the same rules. These kinds of folks are all looking for something "free" and they all add to the tab for the rest of US citizens' tax bills.
Maybe Obama should include another universal provision in his healthcare plans: EVERYONE needs to pay the first ($1000, $2000, $5000,whatever) every year for their healthcare requirements, and after that, they can talk to the government or the hospital about what help is then available for their particular situation. Nobody gets a free ride, NOBODY. Their family can go out and pick up cans or cardboard to sell to meet the deductible before they get treated. It would be similar to the DR where anyone can get "free" medical attention, but must go out to buy whatever meds or IVs are needed for their treatment at a pharmacy.
