Vice President JD Vance is full of bold statements, but that doesn’t negate the fact so many of them are wrong. Recently, he made comments about wait times in emergency rooms and blamed it on illegal immigrants. It’s yet another attack on otherwise innocent immigrants in the U.S. In fact, one TikToker from California argues the real reason for the price of resources. Hint: it isn’t immigrants, and it isn’t from poor people, either.
At the time, Vice President J.D. Vance was commenting on the government shutdown and, once again, blaming it in full on democrats. He said, “If you’re an American citizen and you’ve been to the hospital in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that wait times are especially large and very often somebody who’s there in the ER is an illegal alien. Why do those people get health care benefits at hospitals paid for by American citizens?” This ultimately spurred Jeawok Media to respond on TikTok.
“You think an immigrant at the ER is stealing your money? Not the billionaires with 5 homes, 3 yachts, 2 private jets, and a golden toilet?” read the caption of Jeawok Media’s TikTok video. He then stares at the camera as these words appear: “Congratulations. You’re living proof that propaganda works.”
What’s interesting is President Ronald Reagan signed an act in 1986 that set requirements for emergency departments. ERs would use this as a way to screen those coming into their departments, regardless of the person’s insurance, income, or even their immigration status. Under federal law, immigrants lose out on the chance for a variety of helpful benefits that citizens can receive, especially those who are low-income. These include Medicaid, Medicare, and more.
The fact that our government focuses on immigrants as the problem here is an issue in itself. They don’t think immigrants, regardless of their status, deserve care. J.D. Vance’s words only further dehumanize already marginalized people.
“As someone who works in a hospital in medical billing/coding… the undocumented patients pay their hospital bills more than citizens do,” one woman stated in the comments.
“Call me crazy but I’m absolutely fine with my tax dollars going to providing medical care to whoever needs it regardless of what their immigration status is. I think allowing people to suffer or die in one of the richest countries in the world because of a lack of insurance or money to pay for treatment out of pocket is one of the most deeply immoral things we could do as a country,” said another. If only others would have a little heart and see it that way.
