Anchor babies

[Anonymous]

Who wouldn't do it?

The other day I noticed a very nice well educated couple from West Africa, who came to the US (legally) just to have a baby. They told me so. They did the same with the first child, so now it was time for number two. They will travel back home in about a month or so. I work in a hospital labor suite and I notice this is becoming so common place from people all over the world.

Think of the up sides:
Free high quality care (in MD at least)
Get to sue the hospital and doctors for $$$ if anything goes wrong (not so easy back home)
If the child is born disabled, eligibility for all the social disability insurance that is out there.

OK everyone overseas, just book your vacation at about 31 weeks and you're good to go.

Jeff, defend this one.

[Anonymous]

How is the health care free? They pay for the labor and delivery, don't they? And if they pay for services they should be able to sue for malpractice, yes? And unless they live here, I don't think they can get SSD. But since the parents aren't residents, that's not going to happen.

I agree with you about the citizenship, but you have an active imagination when it comes to the medical and insurance benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is the health care free? They pay for the labor and delivery, don't they? And if they pay for services they should be able to sue for malpractice, yes? And unless they live here, I don't think they can get SSD. But since the parents aren't residents, that's not going to happen.

I agree with you about the citizenship, but you have an active imagination when it comes to the medical and insurance benefits.

I did not naively post. In MD all women regardless of ability to pay, get into services for prenatal care and delivery. They can not be turned away. The thinking is that the cost of caring for a child with problems would be more.

ANYONE can sue a doctor or hospital, even if they do not pay for the care.

They get the whole service, epidural too, paid for by Maryland Medical Assistance.
Baby is a US citizen, and they get services.

[Anonymous]

My parents did it! Thanks, mom and dad.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Jeff, defend this one.

I don't know that I have any responsibility to defend everything that bothers you. What I will say is that is is very difficult for Africans to get tourist visas to the US. You can bet that this couple is not a run of the mill family. You can further deduce that this couple will not be relying on Maryland taxpayers to cover their hospital costs. There is actually a very active industry supporting exactly what you are describing. Families with money fly into the US, pay a lot of money to have a baby, and then fly home. As long as sufficient sums of money are exchanging hands, nobody causes a stir. it's perfectly legal and I suspect hospitals would scream to high heaven if you tried to prevent it.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Jeff, defend this one.

I don't know that I have any responsibility to defend everything that bothers you. What I will say is that is is very difficult for Africans to get tourist visas to the US. You can bet that this couple is not a run of the mill family. You can further deduce that this couple will not be relying on Maryland taxpayers to cover their hospital costs. There is actually a very active industry supporting exactly what you are describing. Families with money fly into the US, pay a lot of money to have a baby, and then fly home. As long as sufficient sums of money are exchanging hands, nobody causes a stir. it's perfectly legal and I suspect hospitals would scream to high heaven if you tried to prevent it.

They were well to do.
They did NOT pay for their care. I saw that bill...MARYLAND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Any pregnant woman in the state of MD gets care. If you make 500k a year and do not have health insurance, you are entitled to medical assistance of you are pregnant. I think it is also the case in VA.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:They were well to do.
They did NOT pay for their care. I saw that bill...MARYLAND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Any pregnant woman in the state of MD gets care. If you make 500k a year and do not have health insurance, you are entitled to medical assistance of you are pregnant. I think it is also the case in VA.

Well, if that's the case, they were simply a little more willing to work the system than most. Unfortunately, I can probably guess what country they were from. It does not change the fact that there is a well-oiled machine in place to ensure that this sort of thing happens. That's not a Democratic or Republican machine, it's a money-making machine. My mother-in-law was refused a visa to visit her new-born grandson three times. Yet, an 8 month pregnant women can walk in and get a visa without a problem. I know there are plenty of people who have worked in embassies around here. Let them explain how that works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They were well to do.
They did NOT pay for their care. I saw that bill...MARYLAND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Any pregnant woman in the state of MD gets care. If you make 500k a year and do not have health insurance, you are entitled to medical assistance of you are pregnant. I think it is also the case in VA.

Is that really true?
I am asking because I know of someone who knows someone who just found out that her insurance policy does not cover maternity and is in a lot of stress about how to have the baby, even considering going to England to give birth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Jeff, defend this one.

I don't know that I have any responsibility to defend everything that bothers you. What I will say is that is is very difficult for Africans to get tourist visas to the US. You can bet that this couple is not a run of the mill family. You can further deduce that this couple will not be relying on Maryland taxpayers to cover their hospital costs. There is actually a very active industry supporting exactly what you are describing. Families with money fly into the US, pay a lot of money to have a baby, and then fly home. As long as sufficient sums of money are exchanging hands, nobody causes a stir. it's perfectly legal and I suspect hospitals would scream to high heaven if you tried to prevent it.

They were well to do.
They did NOT pay for their care. I saw that bill...MARYLAND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Any pregnant woman in the state of MD gets care. If you make 500k a year and do not have health insurance, you are entitled to medical assistance of you are pregnant. I think it is also the case in VA.


Actually, if you make 500K a year, even if you make 50k a year you have to pay for hospital services/maternity care at least in VA is like that. You have prove that you have very low income or no income in order to get some type of assistance otherwise you will be "self pay".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They were well to do.
They did NOT pay for their care. I saw that bill...MARYLAND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Any pregnant woman in the state of MD gets care. If you make 500k a year and do not have health insurance, you are entitled to medical assistance of you are pregnant. I think it is also the case in VA.

Is that really true?
I am asking because I know of someone who knows someone who just found out that her insurance policy does not cover maternity and is in a lot of stress about how to have the baby, even considering going to England to give birth

Yes true. They WANT women to get care ASAP. They do not want any obstacle. At least in MD.
It is not the case in all states.
Now, your care will be in clinics and you will have to wait to see the doctor.
When you deliver, every thing is the same, but you get staff doctors to deliver you.

[Anonymous]

I read this is also all the rage with newly well-to-do Chinese citizens, much like getting a US education and white hubby to boot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read this is also all the rage with newly well-to-do Chinese citizens, much like getting a US education and white hubby to boot!

You are so bitter. Sorry if your life didn't turn out the way you wanted it, but this isn't going to help.

[TheManWithAUsername]

I met a guy once, a well-off soon-to-be partner at a major law firm, who bragged about taking advantage of Home Depot's liberal return policy by buying a sawzall (sp?), using it for a weekend, then returning it, all jacked up. He looked white, but that was probably just makeup.

Defend that, Jeff!

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP, the parents can deliver and return to their country of origin without paying the hospital bill. But in ten years their tourist visas will expire. When they apply for new ones they will be required to show proof that they paid hospital bills for any children born in the U.S. If they cannot produce this documentation they can be refused new visas. I denied visas to several sets of parents in Seoul and Manila for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP, the parents can deliver and return to their country of origin without paying the hospital bill. But in ten years their tourist visas will expire. When they apply for new ones they will be required to show proof that they paid hospital bills for any children born in the U.S. If they cannot produce this documentation they can be refused new visas. I denied visas to several sets of parents in Seoul and Manila for this reason.

The baby has to pay nothing.
But what bill are you talking about?
Medical assistance is just that, Medicare.