Thread: TennCare paying for illegal immigrant births

Reimbursement for illegal immigrant births frustrates local doctor

January 18, 2007

By CATHARYN CAMPBELL
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- When illegal immigrants have babies in Tennessee, federal law requires doctors to treat them because labor is considered an emergency.

The law also requires TennCare to reimburse hospitals for the emergency care they provide to people here illegally who would qualify for Medicaid as a U.S. citizen.

Dr. Heather Moss, 35, works as an OBGYN. She has a private practice and also delivers babies twice a month at St. Mary's Hospital.

Moss is dealing with a problem of her own. Her individual health insurance plan doesn't cover maternity expenses because she is not married.

"I feel like I'm getting discriminated against because I choose to be single. Maybe I don't want to get married and maybe I want to have a baby."

Moss is even more frustrated because some of her tax money is paying for illegal immigrants to give birth and she is delivering their babies.

6 News found TennCare pays for approximately 60 immigrants a month. Most of those are for mothers in labor. That adds up to a cost of about $1.7 million, an average of nearly $15 million a year.

"That $15 million could have been used to help legally established working poor in the state of Tennessee."

She pays $450 a month for insurance. Switching plans or changing insurance companies would cost her

Yet, when my brother was having heart trouble and was rushed to the hospital, they wouldn't help with his medical costs. He couldn't even afford to go to the doctor/specialist for his follow up care.

Moss is dealing with a problem of her own. Her individual health insurance plan doesn't cover maternity expenses because she is not married.

"I feel like I'm getting discriminated against because I choose to be single. Maybe I don't want to get married and maybe I want to have a baby."

This is screwed up too......Illegals have more rights than our own citizens, it is only going to get worse

I think we should just make Tennessee pay for everything........just to annoy tngirl!

I would love to act surprised but with this area of the country turning completely immigrant (they estimate about 75% illegal) I see them get free stuff everyday

Originally Posted by PrincessArky

I would love to act surprised but with this area of the country turning completely immigrant (they estimate about 75% illegal) I see them get free stuff everyday

that can't be right???

Originally Posted by tnfuhs

I've seen some of the immigrants paychecks, and they do make alot of money. Makes ya wonder how they qualify for Tenncare or any other government services, they should have to go through the same process as us Citizens, Not just get something handed to them for nothing just because their illegal.

Because if they are illegals and they are working and recieving a paycheck they are using either fraudulant documentation or stolen documentation. They do not have valid SSN numbers and legally cannot work without one. Since they can show no income, and more than likely have more than one form of fake ID, that is how they qualify.