Blue State Blues: Denver Hospital System Says It’s on Verge of Collapse Over Migrant Crisis
19th January 2024
A hospital system in Denver said the migrant crisis the city faces could drive it into financial collapse as it struggles to make ends meet, with over $100 million in unpaid-for care.
“While I have tremendous compassion for what’s going on, it’s heartbreaking, it’s going to break Denver Health,” the safety net hospital’s CEO, Donna Lynne, told a committee of the city council last week, according to the Denver Post. In the past year, 8,000 illegal immigrants have come to the hospital for 20,000 visits, the cost of which goes into the millions and has not been reimbursed by the state and federal governments.
The strain from treating the migrants has contributed to $136 million in care the hospital provided last year for which it has not received compensation.