West
Denver hospitals want federal bailout as illegal immigrants flood system
A top doctor in Denver has told Fox News the illegal migrant crisis has pushed the state’s hospital system to its breaking point and is causing a humanitarian crisis.
Denver Health Chief of Government Affairs Dr. Steve Federico said the influx of migrants is putting an enormous strain on hospitals and staff and called for federal aid to bail it out.
“We absolutely need additional public support to help provide health care to our safety net hospitals such as Denver Health,” Federico told “The Ingraham Angle” Thursday. “We’re needing to respond to this huge humanitarian crisis in our emergency rooms and our clinics. And, so, what we’re looking for is for policymakers to step up and fund appropriately the health care providers that are providing this care.”
Denver Health Chief of Government Affairs Dr. Steve Federico tells “America Reports” the illegal migrant crisis has pushed the state’s hospital system to its breaking point and is creating a humanitarian crisis. (Fox News)
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About 8,000 illegal immigrants recorded about 20,000 visits to Denver Health last year, receiving services such as emergency room treatment, primary care, dental care and childbirth. The visits contributed to the system being in the red by about $22 million. Although it did receive $20 million from the state, Kaiser Permanente Colorado and private donors, according to The Denver Post. It reported a $35 million loss in 2022, the publication reported.
Last year’s losses resulted in the hospital closing 15 beds that would otherwise have been used for patients needing psychiatric or addiction treatment while employee raises and renovations had to be postponed, according to The Denver Post.
“As a pediatrician, I’ll tell you what my colleagues see every day. They see human beings coming in asking for health care, and I’m proud to say that our hospital and our health care team continue to step up and help these human beings in their times of need,” Federico said.
“My health care partners and colleagues are experiencing a lot of moral strife, staying up at night after they care for these patients, wondering if they’ll be able to get the needed medications that have been prescribed or the follow-up care that they’ll need in subsequent days or weeks. We need a better system to help these people get on their feet and to be safe and healthy,” Federico told “The Ingraham Angle.”
Migrants wait in a line to get paperwork to be admitted to shelters at a migrant processing center in Denver, Colo., in May 2023. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, echoed Federico’s calls for federal support.
“It should be no surprise that without real border security and fixing our broken immigration system, hospitals across the country are having to treat migrants who aren’t insured,” a spokesperson for Polis told “The Ingraham Angle.”
“Governor Polis reiterates his call for Congress and the president to urgently act and secure the border.
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Federico told “America Reports” in a separate interview Thursday that Denver Health provided at least $130 million of uncompensated care, a small portion of which is related to recently arrived immigrants. Uncompensated care is health care or services provided by hospitals that do not get reimbursed and is provided to people who do not have insurance and cannot afford to pay.
That figure includes care for people covered by Medicaid when the rates the program paid didn’t cover the full costs, The Denver Post reported, citing Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne. About $100 million of that went to people living in Denver.
Fox News drone video shows a group of about 2,200 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to Eagle Pass, Texas. (Fox News)
“It has contributed to our financial distress,” Federico told “America Reports.”
“We need to provide basic (care) to these populations. They are coming to our hospital as patients with basic health care needs such as respiratory illness, GI illness. Some of them have asthma and diabetes. We’re seeing severe dental disease in the population,” Federico said.
“Some of them have acute illnesses as a result of their arduous journeys, living in unsanitary conditions, drinking poor drinking water.
“And, so, we’re doing the best we can from a clinical standpoint to take care of them, but we really need a system in pace to help pay for that medical care to make sure that these patients get the needed care, get the needed medication, get the needed follow-up. And the lack of a structured system to pay for that is making it extremely difficult for our clinical teams.”
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A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
Josh’s Saturday Night Forecast
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Calmer weather has moved back into the state this afternoon. Temperatures are slightly warmer across northwestern New Mexico, while southeastern areas are cooler thanks to the backdoor cold fronts that moved in on Friday. Breezier winds will return Sunday and will help kick off a warming trend across the state, along with an elevated fire threat in eastern New Mexico.
Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground.
Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
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