Welfare Reform

Re “U.S. Welfare Revision Could Be Costly to L.A.,” July 22: The county Department of Health Services stands to lose more than $100 million in Medicaid funding for services provided to legal immigrants. But the bill also cuts overall funding for emergency and trauma programs, and this affects anyone needing county hospital services. Private doctors and hospital staffs, who treat about 70% of all Medicaid patients in the county, would lose about $150 million as a result of the welfare reform bill.

The loss of this collective funding would mean public and private hospitals would be forced to lay off workers and dramatically decrease services, including closure of desperately needed emergency rooms. Legal immigrants are not going away and will still seek services from public and private providers who are obligated by law to provide care. So, who will pay the bill? Taxpayers, in the form of higher health care costs and a loss of critically needed health services.

ANTHONY J. ABBATE

Vice President, Los Angeles

Region, Healthcare Assn.

of Southern California

* Your July 18 editorial, “Passing the Buck on Welfare,” complains that the welfare reform bill “would be an unfair and punitive move against legal immigrants who have played by the rules.” It appears to me that most of them haven’t played by the rules. The rules require that they turn to their sponsors, who signed a legal document assuming financial support for the immigrant.

MARIA DENKER