3 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
A Doctor vs. the Hospital Lobby on Medicaid
Regarding your editorial 'The Medicaid Scare Campaign' (May 27): I've dealt with this issue after having practiced emergency medicine for more than 30 years in the once Golden State of California. I work in a less affluent urban area of a generally affluent county. In my last two shifts, I saw five new immigrants, all covered by 'Emergency Medi-Cal'—the state's version of Medicaid—for nonemergent conditions. Four arrived by ambulance for drug- or alcohol-related problems, and another had dental issues, having never been seen by a dentist in her home country. One of them asked for a 'general checkup' at midnight once he sobered up.
California started by offering prenatal care to immigrant mothers many years ago, in the hope this would improve maternal and pediatric outcomes. The Democratic Legislature rapidly expanded that coverage to all for emergencies, while ignoring the high cost of care in the emergency departments vs. that of clinics. The general public doesn't comprehend the concept of true emergencies, and my state has become a magnet for people seeking all the free stuff.
