Sob story of the day: Illegal aliens may fear to seek care
Doctors around the state say a growing fervor over illegal immigration may scare illegal immigrants away from seeking health care and create a public health threat.
A recent case in Alamance County — in which medical records may have been used to help prosecute a library worker who was in the country illegally — has prompted many to speak out about what they see as an unprecedented breach of trust between doctor and patient.
“Whether you’re legal or illegal, it’s always been assumed that your medical information is private and can’t be used against you,” said Dr. Christopher Snyder III of Concord, president of the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians. “The doctor-patient relationship is sacred, and I’m not sure that has really been challenged until now. We’re in uncharted territory.”
Snyder was among several doctors who said that if patients become afraid to seek care, infectious diseases could spread, infant mortality could rise, and emergency costs could increase.
There is a simple answer: stop them from coming to America illegally in the first place.
There is a reason I highlighted the librarian part, so, let’s go to the money quote
Alamance County Health Director Barry Bass said that during a recent State Bureau of Investigation inquiry into his health department, a judge ordered him to release the records of about five patients, one of whom was library worker Marxavi Angel Martinez. Martinez, who had been brought to North Carolina by her parents when she was a toddler, now faces federal felony charges for using the Social Security number of a dead person.
On the bright side, at least a living person was not having their identity stolen by an illegal (and, yes, plenty of legal people steal identities, too.) On the down side, we get sob stories about those poor illegals who might not seek medical care for fear of being busted for having broken the law. Why don’t I hear any sob stories of rapists, burglars, and kidnappers being scared to seek medical help?
I wonder what else Martinez could have done with that social security #? Register to vote? Get government money? What else?
