To the editor:
A recent front-page story in the Greenwich Time outlined the progress made by farmer John Augustin, who lost a leg in an accident in 2006 at his farm on King Street ("Farmer John test drives the latest in prosthetics," May 18).
He is now trying out a new prosthetic leg that costs $45,000. He hopes that Medicaid will provide him with the new leg when he turns 65 this year. It seems he can't afford to pay for the new leg since his medical costs for the accident total almost $500,000. John has paid over $100,000 of these costs, with fundraisers held on his behalf providing the balance.
Too bad John isn't an illegal alien because his treatment wouldn't have cost him a cent.
In 2006, a Greenwich neurosurgeon recounted in a newspaper column how she and a team of doctors operated on and treated at no cost a 25-year-old Guatemalan illegal alien in the country all of 90 days. He walked into the emergency room at Greenwich Hospital speaking no English, with a highly contagious case of fulminating tuberculosis meningitis. He received an emergency operation and then spent 22 months in the hospital, which wrote off $200,000 in direct costs exclusive of fees that probably would have cost another $100,000 from attending doctors who donated their services.
Hospital emergency rooms have closed across American, including in Port Chester, because of unreimbursed services and bankruptcy.
Be a law-abiding, beloved citizen like John Augustin, and be prepared to pay your medical costs in full - or else. Be a non-citizen, break our laws, and it's welcome to America for free medical care, no matter what the costs. Some of John's tax money can go to provide these "free" services to illegals.
Crazy is an understatement to describe an immigration policy that produces results like this in pursuit of cheap labor. Maybe that labor isn't so cheap after all.
Raymond P. Justus
Greenwich
Other Letters To The Greenwich Time Editor:
To the editor:
Contrary to a recent news article, I will not pursue the Tod's Point matter any further.
As a resident of Greenwich, I applaud the May 19 decision of the Planning and Zoning Commission to reject the application to build a 27,000-square-foot mansion on Simmons Lane for reasons including construction vehicles, narrow roads and traffic ("P&Z rejects plan for mansion," Greenwich Time, May 21).
To the editor:
Alan H. Stein, in his letter of May 19 ("Criticism about Israel only contradicts itself, Greenwich Time), has misunderstood Stephen Walt on two counts.
================================================
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmial.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Useful criticism, helpful links and corrections and general comments are always welcome at Greenwich Roundup. Generally only spam ads and posts with very foul language get censored.
Contact me directly at GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com if you have a suggestion or comment you don't want publicized (but tell me so in your email).
I look forward to publishing your opinions.
COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the Greenwich community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines. Basically, be civil, smart, on-topic and free from profanity. Don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read!