L.A. Times, AP shun ‘illegals’ word in medical stories

Both the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press ran sad stories this week about two dozen private medical centers in Southern California that are in poor financial health and face bankruptcy or closure.  A major factor triggering the problem can be summed up in two words:  illegal aliens.

However, those two words --- essential elements in the situation --- were conspicuously bypassed in the Times and AP reports, finds Grumpy Editor.

The latest development follows many community clinics and hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange Counties closing doors in recent years.  Over the past decade more than 70 community hospitals in California have been shuttered as the population mushrooms.

Closest AP came to identifying a key reason in its latest story was a line that said the “financial problems are caused by several developments including an increasing load of uninsured patients.”

Meanwhile, the Times noted: “An increasing load of uninsured and low-income patients has resulted from overcrowding and the shutdown of public facilities.  The number of uninsured patients visiting private hospitals, particularly in poor areas, has increased by one third in Los Angeles County since 2002.”

California has at least 3 million illegal aliens and most show up at hospital emergency rooms to receive treatment for urgent and chronic health problems.

Other medical facilities around the nation are facing similar problems.