Foreigners may be forced to pay for free health care while in the country.

[gracielle]

Jantango......How "generous" of the Bolivian gov't to now offer a reciprocal healthcare agreement to "visiting" Argentines! How many non-resident Argentines visit Bolivia as opposed to the number of non-resident Bolivians who cross into our border towns and leech off our system.

2 March 2018
https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/his...s-bolivia-quiaca-tener-hijos_0_SyE7Kkw_z.html
....Regarding the request for reciprocity with Bolivia, in this case, health specialists say that for Argentina this would not work: "The reality is thatArgentines will not go to other countries as they prefer to stay here. So the agreement that Argentines do not pay in foreign hospitals would not be any benefit and we would continue to lose, "says Arias from the hospital in Quichua, just 20 blocks from the border crossing.

 

[ghost]

In the USA we seem to believe that education should produce a lifetime of debt and be so politically correct that it's nearly useless. And ...health care must be painfully expensive, poorly delivered and metered out by incompetent , greedy insurance companies. Who could care less about good outcomes. Trillions of tax dollars are pissed away on meaningless, stupid wars while children graduate high-school as functional illiterates. I present the president of the country as a prime example.

 

[on the brink]

The Story of the Woman Who Crossed Three Times From Bolivia to La Quiaca to Have Her Children
https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/his...s-bolivia-quiaca-tener-hijos_0_SyE7Kkw_z.html

That Bolivian woman is entitled to receive three - THREE - "asignaciones mensuales por hijo" (monthly per-child allowance), courtesy of long-suffering Argentine taxpayers. Right now, three child allowances equal a live-in housekeeper's salary.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

According to the art. 14 of the National Constitution, human beings who lives here have all the same rights no matter the nationality. If they do not live here they have no rights to free medical insurance besides emergencies.

 

[nikad]

According to the art. 14 of the National Constitution, human beings who lives here have all the same rights no matter the nationality. If they do not live here they have no rights to free medical insurance besides emergencies.

People that cross the border just to get medical treatment, DO NOT live here. That is the problem.

 

[Rich One]

Again how do you qualify Live Here..? how many months must you live here ? To Live HERE?

 

[Bajo_cero2]

People that cross the border just to get medical treatment, DO NOT live here. That is the problem.

I already gave the legal answer Nikad.
The way they want to do it is wrong. It has nothing to do with being a foreigner or not, the key is if you live here or not that can be evidence with a DNI for example because it is easy for borderline countries to get it. Then they can have access to the immigration data base to see how much time they live here per year: you need 6 month and one day to be considered a resident.

This is the way to do it without discrimination.

However, I understand that it is all about discrimination. I cannot find back the news about an argentine woman from Salta that ethically is the same than Bolivians and they cancelled the subsidy to her for the color of the skin.

 

[RandomS]

People that cross the border just to get medical treatment, DO NOT live here. That is the problem.

What's the solution then? If you start checking DNI, a lot people who actually live here will be denied service. If you install immigration center and employ manpower at every public hospital to check date of entry to verify residency, it will cost more tax money. People from Bolivia can enter Argentina with just their cedulas, so you cannot ask for entry stamp on passport. Database access will be required.

If you want to pass this to the immigration offices, they are already swamped and neither they nor the foreigners can afford another line of tramites. And... more tax money. Also people who live and/or work in Argentina illegally will not want to go to immigration. If you want to depend on certificado de domicilio, we all know that it is very easy to get.

So what do you suggest?

As Dr. bajo_cero has mentioned, it is very easy for citizens of bordering countries to get DNI or some sort of residence in Argentina. More often than not, they have relatives here. If you want to change the laws, those who want to leech off the system will be the least affected.

There is no solution is sight other than taking a downright discriminatory decision (like singling out citizens from Bolivia), or causing a massive inconvenience for most foreigners who don't intend to leech off the system. The current government is already accused of discrimination and disobeying the constitution with its immigration policies. They are trying though to get the image clean again. I don't think they will want to make it worse. Not at this moment.

 

[nikad]

I already gave the legal answer Nikad.
The way they want to do it is wrong. It has nothing to do with being a foreigner or not, the key is if you live here or not that can be evidence with a DNI for example because it is easy for borderline countries to get it. Then they can have access to the immigration data base to see how much time they live here per year: you need 6 month and one day to be considered a resident.

This is the way to do it without discrimination.

However, I understand that it is all about discrimination. I cannot find back the news about an argentine woman from Salta that ethically is the same than Bolivians and they cancelled the subsidy to her for the color of the skin.

I agree with you 100% on the fact that they should be checking who actually lives here and who is just coming to take advantage of services and then going back home.

I think it is misinterpreted as discrimination, because all the people that come, get services and leave are from bordering countries and their skin color is darker, but it is a reality that you can only do this if you live really close to Argentina. A guy from Serbia would not pay an air fare to come get his gall bladder removed...

Now if instead of checking documents they are checking faces and ethnic features, something is f*** up, I agree.

 

[nikad]

They should be checking for documentation and records as well as enforcing laws that state that you lose perm residency after 2 years abroad or temp residency when you spend over half the stipulated time abroad. Just like we all have to prove domicile at some point, get people to prove residency and ties to the country you get services from.