Deportation of pregnant teen has town in uproar

[JUST ME]

Americans Filching Free Health Care in Canada
By CLYDE H. FARNSWORTH,
Published: December 20, 2007
Lacking a national health care system of their own, thousands of Americans are tapping into Canada's -- illegally.
"It's not an epidemic in any one person's practice," said Keith MacLeod, an obstetrician in Windsor, Ontario, across from Detroit, "but I would estimate that from 12 to 20 of my patients at any one time are ineligible Americans. And I'm just one of 520 doctors in Windsor, 23,000 in Ontario."
Dr. MacLeod, former president of the Essex County Medical Society, delivers about 400 babies a year.
A report prepared for Ontario's Health Minister indicated that from August 1992 to February 1993, 60,000 medical claims had been made on behalf of patients who held American drivers' licenses. The total number of improper claims in Ontario was estimated at 600,000.
Only legal residents qualify for free medical care in Canada, using plastic health cards for identification. Others are supposed to pay for medical services they may require, but many are submitting counterfeit, borrowed or fradulently obtained cards.
Loopholes and the lack of stringent controls are costing the provincial health care system as much as $691 million a year, the Ontario report found.
""In the past, we didn't pay enough attention to who was an Ontario resident," said Health Minister Ruth Grier, a member of the socialist-oriented New Democratic Party, which governs the province. "But now we have to make sure that we spend taxpayers' dollars as wisely as possible."
The provinces run Canada's health care system, which takes roughly a third of their budgets and is financed by payroll taxes, federal transfer payments and periodic borrowing.
About a quarter of the $17 billion spent on health care in Ontario, the richest and most populous province, is borrowed in the form of bonds sold to investors, many from the United States. Borrowing Costs Increase
The recent downgrading of Ontario's debt by two leading bond-rating services has suddenly raised the province's borrowing costs, thus compounding its financial problems.
Many reasons besides fraud contribute to Canada's rising medical costs: higher prices for medical technology, relatively long hospital stays and an oversupply of doctors, who are rewarded under a fee-for-service system when they see more patients and perform more procedures.
Yet fraud has drawn the spotlight, perhaps because it is an easier political target than some of the other factors.
Jim Wilson, the spokesman on health matters for the Conservative opposition in Ontario's Legislature, is urging stiffer verification procedures.
"We've lost 5,000 hospital beds in the last two years," he said. "There are ever-increasing waiting lists for cancer treatment. There is a health care crisis in Ontario, and the public has very little patience for Americans or others not entitled to use our health system clogging up our services."
Here this is only one page. Written by your reporters in your country since then numbers have only increase. You fools

[JUST ME]

The ministry is open to the fraudulent use of health care in all programs," the report said. "Almost no analytical tools exist at this time, and lenient registration policies encourage abuse by non- and new residents."
Joseph Cordiano, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Ontario Legislature, added, "Fraud is squandering our resources."
Although the encroachment is largely a border phenomenon, it has national scope because more than 90 percent of Canadians live and work within 100 miles of the United States. Other provinces have similar problems, but Ontario's size has given the issue national prominence.
In Canada, policing health care was always seen as more trouble than it was worth, and the authorities have long ignored cracks in the system. Doctors have little desire to be secret informers, and strict patient confidentiality laws have helped seal their lips.
And for years Canadians widely believed that their country was rich enough to look after all those who entered its portals.
But times are changing. In an era of mammoth budget deficits, to which free health care is a leading contributor, politicians of all stripes are eagerly seizing on ways to save money.

[JUST ME]

hERE IS THE WEB PAGE FOR MORE INFO

www.query.nytimes.com

[Please Spare Me]

THE ONE AND ONLY wrote:

Lucky for me I only have 3 more years to live here and going to back to Toronto, Canada.
I warn you I do not want to see an American set foot in my country.
As a matter of fact I am already forming a gruop with my frinds to identify and prosecute Americans that marry or forge paper work to get free cancer treatment or to get their illness take care of in Canada for free.
Or should I say with my hard earn dollars.
So please Americans, do me a favour and stop going to my country (Canada) to drain the resources.
Thank you a Cunuck..and proud.

Ha that IS funny. Your countrymen come HERE for treatment because your medical system sucks so bad. You call it free, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

[JohnP]

Gee, should we do that to all of the Canadian workers in hospitals. In N.Y. all the nursing positions have been taken by Canadians. Also,let's take all of the Hollywood film production out of Canada, lets see what happens then. Go back to Canada, who cares!!!

THE ONE AND ONLY wrote:

Lucky for me I only have 3 more years to live here and going to back to Toronto, Canada.
I warn you I do not want to see an American set foot in my country.
As a matter of fact I am already forming a gruop with my frinds to identify and prosecute Americans that marry or forge paper work to get free cancer treatment or to get their illness take care of in Canada for free.
Or should I say with my hard earn dollars.
So please Americans, do me a favour and stop going to my country (Canada) to drain the resources.
Thank you a Cunuck..and proud.

[JUST ME]

Americans Filching Free Health Care in Canada
By CLYDE H. FARNSWORTH,
Published: January 11, 2008.

All it takes to get free health treatment is a little plastic card. Doctors and hospitals note the number on the card and bill the province according to a fee schedule. In Ontario the card is red and white, bears no photograph and gives the name, date of birth and sex of the holder. Only the holder is entitled to the medical services. More Cards Than Residents

A recent report by the Provincial Auditor's office found 10.5 million Ontario residents registered to receive health care. The province has a population of 10 million.

Some evidence exists that cards are counterfeited. In drug and other raids, the police have confiscated cases of blank health cards. Also, families often fail to turn in cards of people who die.

As the card provides little information, borrowing is relatively easy for someone of the same sex and about the same age as the holder.

In June, Tommy Bettis, from Arkansas, broke his arm and cut his head while helping to repair the garage of a friend, Kristopher Goering, in Thorold, a small Ontario community between St. Catherines and Niagara Falls.

When Mr. Bettis received emergency-room care at St. Catherines General Hospital, he presented Mr. Goering's card, the authorities said.

What they say is a similar incident occurred in August in Kingston, about 150 miles east of Toronto. Sandra Skinner, from Rochester, N.Y., fractured her elbow and used the card of a friend, Brenda Jean Cripps of Kingston, to pay for treatment in the emergency room of the Hotel-Dieu Hospital.

These are among the first cases in Ontario history in which formal charges of health card fraud have been brought. They are part of a new crackdown, said Mrs. Grier, the Health Minister. Hospital staff members alerted the authorities in both cases. Penalties for Fraud

The charges against the two Americans were fraud and impersonation. The maximum penalty for fraud is 10 years in prison; for impersonation, 14 years. The two Canadians were accused of being parties to an attempted fraud, which is also a criminal offense but which carries lesser penalties.

The Bettis-Goering case will be heard on Dec. 21. The Skinner-Cripps case ended in an "absolute discharge," meaning no records are kept of the offense, after the emergency room bill was settled and both women pleaded guilty.

These were emergencies involving Americans visiting Canada. Yet doctors report that many Americans are poaching as a normal routine.

"They are people with an Ontario address for OHIP" -- Ontario Health Insurance Plan -- "but an American telephone number and place of employment," said Dr. MacLeod of Windsor.

Some are Americans who were able to obtain health cards years ago by virtue of summer cottages they owned in Canada. Only full-time residents are legally entitled to use the cards. Some routinely borrow health cards of Canadian friends.

Michael Decter, Ontario's Deputy Health Minister, said in testimony in the fall before Mr. Cordiano's committee, "I expect you will see a lot more charges laid." Collection Efforts Planned

As part of the crackdown, officials said, cards of ineligible users will be seized and efforts made to collect for the medical services provided.

"Our intention is not to send thousands of Americans to jail," said Anne Moon, corporate services manager for the Ontario ministry, "but to get them to pay their bills.

"Anyway, we hope it's a temporary phenomenon, until President Clinton gets his health plan through."

Among other measures being considered to deal with the fraud are more rigorous verification and control procedures and a new card that may carry more information and include the bearer's photo.

PART 1 SECOND PAGE.

[JohnP]

O.K. frenchy sop posting and go back!!!

JUST ME wrote:

<quoted text>
Please do me a favour, do not come and visit.
In my Canada there is no place for Americans.
The more I live there in your cesspool, the more I love my leaf.
And I can assure you I will do everything in my power to expell each and every American from my Canada.

[JUST ME]

you americans, blame the illegal immigrants, now blame the Canadians for taking jobs in hospitals in New York.
That goes to show how uneducated and lazy you guys are everyone is taking your jobs and there is nothing you can do.
Way to go. Take your filiming crew, we do not care really.

[Arawak]

I agree she should be sent back, but why all the need for these racist postings?

[JUST ME]

What happen Americans taking a break. As usual. Now wait, do not take to long of a break, someone might take your job. But that is what yu like so then you can sit in front of a computer and start blaming the world for your misfortunes.

[Bloodshed]

canada is so great but you're in west palm? you might get sick in our "cesspool." that would be tragic. scum like you and to the scum that cant type in english. trapped in westpalm, in this awful country. FU both. i have nothing against Canada. i'd like to see it. legal immigrants are fine by me. my grandfather is cuban. illegal immigration is a SERIOUS problem.

WEHATEGRINGOS.com watch the video. wake up America. united we stand.

ANTI-GRINGO wrote:

SOY YO Y QUE DEPORTANDO A MI GENTE A LOS VERDADEROS DUEñOS DE ESTAS TIERRAS.
GRINJOS SON UNA MIERDA Y POR ESO ES QUE TODOS USTED VAN A SUFRIR. COMO HAN HECHO SUFRIR A MI LATINO AMERICA.
NO QUIERO SU GENECIDE, NO INVADA MAS TIERRAS QUE NO SON SUYAS, NO CREEN MAS HAMBER NO MATEN MAS NINOS INOCENTES.
VIVA LA REVOLUCION
VIVA CHAVEZ
VIVA FIDEL
VIVA IRAN

[vinnie]

IHAVETHEPOWER wrote:

and before you sent her back, sew her uterus shut forever

Or just remove it

[vinnie]

THE ONE AND ONLY wrote:

Lucky for me I only have 3 more years to live here and going to back to Toronto, Canada.
I warn you I do not want to see an American set foot in my country.
As a matter of fact I am already forming a gruop with my frinds to identify and prosecute Americans that marry or forge paper work to get free cancer treatment or to get their illness take care of in Canada for free.
Or should I say with my hard earn dollars.
So please Americans, do me a favour and stop going to my country (Canada) to drain the resources.
Thank you a Cunuck..and proud.

You should practice spelling with that group of friends

[Henry]

With all the noise about "illegal Immigrants" and no one doing a DAM thing about; I am glad this has been brought to the attention of the media. I for one am getting tired of my "TAXES" being used to support someone who is getting a free ride. Its a shame we do not have someone in the policitical process that that has the guts to address this issue. One thing for sure, the Democrats who gained control of Congress last election haven't addressed it and the way the Republican are acting we have no help there as well.
Its just plain frustrationing!!

[Shaddup]

Enforcement wrote:

It's a damn shame the filthy border jumper sow didn't mouth off or resist arrest. The law enforcement officer could have used his 22-inch hard rubber baton to mash her scuzzy tobacco-stained teeth in.

Enforcement, you all are giving us Southerners a bad rap with that mouth of yourn and the Northerners down in Florida (the northernmost borough of NYC) should know that, while we b'leve in deporting illegals (not our problem) we don't hate them or wish them any harm. And we want what's best for them....in their own country.

[Shaddup]

ANTI-GRINGO wrote:

SOY YO Y QUE DEPORTANDO A MI GENTE A LOS VERDADEROS DUEñOS DE ESTAS TIERRAS.
GRINJOS SON UNA MIERDA Y POR ESO ES QUE TODOS USTED VAN A SUFRIR. COMO HAN HECHO SUFRIR A MI LATINO AMERICA.
NO QUIERO SU GENECIDE, NO INVADA MAS TIERRAS QUE NO SON SUYAS, NO CREEN MAS HAMBER NO MATEN MAS NINOS INOCENTES.
VIVA LA REVOLUCION
VIVA CHAVEZ
VIVA FIDEL
VIVA IRAN

So move to Iran....

[Shetty]

JUST ME wrote:

Canada is and forever will be the best country in the world.

I think Charlie Daniels said it the best. Canada, where the men are bold, the women are cold, and you damn near freeze to death.

[Mr_Criccio]

Someone mention in a previous post that his grandfather was Cuban.
Remember he did not get here the proper way.
He jump on a boat, so he came illegaly.

Thank you.

[Chuck]

County wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree and it is the same here in south Florida. I have a friend who is a math teacher and she was looking for a job in another school and all that was availible were English as a Second Language positions. If we got rid of even 50% of the illegals in Miami Dade County alone it would save taxpayers alot of money.

That is just not right. English should be taught as a first language. If people come here fine. Learn our English Language. You do not come here and inflict your customs and heritage on Americans born here. Hispanics dont want to learn our language then get the hell out of my country! Let the deportation games begin!

[Chuck]

The above I am talking about illegals of course.