> Daily Health Policy Report
> Coverage & Access | Mexican Consulates Helping Immigrants in U.S. With
> Preventive Health Care, Referrals for Other Health Care Services
> [May 31, 2007]

>       Mexican consulates in the U.S. are implementing a program called
> Ventanillas de Salud, or Health Windows, that gives undocumented
> Mexican immigrants access to basic health information and services
> without the risk of being reported to immigration officials, the Los
> Angeles Times reports. The program was founded in 2003 as an
> experimental collaboration between the Mexican government and the
> University of California's Health Initiative of the Americas program
> and originally funded by a grant from the California Endowment.

> Ventanillas offers undocumented immigrants preventive tests, such as
> for cholesterol, and also provides referrals to hospitals, clinics and
> government programs where they can receive treatment "without fear of
> being turned over to immigration authorities," according to the Times.
> The program currently has offices in 11 U.S. cities and eventually
> aims to be in all 47 Mexican consulates in the country.

> Health services to undocumented immigrants cost California's Medi-Cal
> program $1.1 billion last year, including $440 million in Los Angeles
> County, according to the California Department of Health Services.
> Thus far, the program has provided 286,000 Mexicans in Los Angeles
> with health information and referrals, and 12,000 have received care
> from sources they learned about through Ventanillas.

> Although undocumented immigrants cannot enroll in Medicare, Medicaid
> or SCHIP, federal law requires that state Medicaid programs cover
> emergency care for undocumented immigrants who otherwise would qualify
> for the program. The federal Women, Infants and Children program gives
> all pregnant women and infants in the U.S. access to immunization and
> nutritional benefits, and some publicly funded programs reimburse
> hospitals for care of the uninsured, including undocumented
> immigrants. Many community clinics also provide basic health care
> services regardless of immigration status.

> Comments
> Ruben Beltran, a Mexican consul general in Los Angeles, said the
> Ventanillas program saves the U.S. money by encouraging immigrants to
> seek preventive care, rather than waiting until they need costlier
> emergency care when their conditions worsen. "Health-related issues
> are a very important absent piece of information," Beltran said,
> adding, "We're filling the blanks. ... The consulate is the prime
> location to disseminate that information to the Mexican community."

> However, critics of the program say it grants undocumented immigrants
> access to benefits supported by taxpayers, according to the Times. Ira
> Mehlman, spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration
> Reform, said, "It facilitates people remaining in the country
> illegally. Clearly, it is a policy of the Mexican government ... to
> get all the institutions in the U.S. to provide services to their
> citizens who are living here illegally" (Alonso-Zaldivar/Gorman, Los
> Angeles Times, 5/31).

> The Mexican consul in Los Angeles proudly announced that nearly
> 300,000 Mexicans in the area have benefited from his government's
> health referral program, which he says actually saves the county money
> by encouraging immigrants to seek preventive care rather than waiting
> for more expensive emergency treatment.

> The Southern California operation promises to assess "consulate
> clients" for eligibility to government-funded health insurance and
> other primary care services and offers free legal assistance to those
> who are denied coverage. Its goal is to improve access to health
> services for immigrants of Mexican origin by formalizing a health
> education, medical home referral and insurance enrollment program.

> In Chicago, the Mexican consul's Spanish-language web site heavily
> promotes the Illinois Department of Health's low-cost prescription
> medicine program for illegal aliens and various free medical services
> throughout the state. It encourages all Mexicans in the area to pursue
> the valuable U.S. government-financed services for their entire
> family.

> The Indiana-based program boasts that it serves thousands of "Mexican
> nationals" living in that state as well as Ohio, Kentucky and southern
> Illinois. Mexican officials claim that its highly successful pro-
> health program sends out a clear message to other Mexican consulates
> throughout the country and the world.

> Although these programs facilitate people to remain in the country
> illegally, Mexico is working hard to expand them to all 47 U.S.
> consulates to better serve its nationals. In the meantime, U.S.
> taxpayers will keep picking up the exorbitant tab of medically
> treating the millions who live in the country illegally.

> Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation dedicated to
> fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to
> ethics and morality in our nation's public life. To view the Judicial
> Watch Internet site click here (www.judicialwatchwatch.org).