"Being hassled about your immigration status" is very much a matter of somebody chosing to bring it to the attention of some competent authority who choses to take action. Choice is strong in this. Not that I like the authorities can and do choose who to hassle, but I believe it to be the reality.
TL;DR in a sanatorium with bills being met or in the right sanatorium as an indigent, there is no necessary role for immigration authorities, unless somebody "poked the bear"
Within the UK those accessing the NHS might be asked to prove elibility by dedicated teams.
If they can't prove it they will be billed 150% of the nominal NHS cost (still cheap in grand scheme of things).
No one has ever shown the process to be cost effective. Nor is it terrible efficient as the vast majority of healthcare professionals do not proactively engage with the process. (Likely as they feel underpaid to do their actual job and are unwilling to take on a police role).
More likely because the job of a doctor is to save lives and not to discourage patients from seeking help because they’ve become an informant for the immigration Gestapo
I think that we should really (1) stop thinking that immigration is a problem and (2) obsess about it and (3) make up ex-post rationalisations for idiotic anti-immigration policies.
The day after the A&E becomes a branch of the immigration Gestapo, illegal immigrants will stop seeking medical advice. Even some legal immigrants may be scared away. Apart from the obvious humanitarian concerns, guess what happens if these people catch a dangerous contagious disease.
Ah yes, let the citizens pay for illegal migrants healthcare while business owners capitalize on cheap workforce. Externalise expenses, internalise profits. Yay.
And yes, immigration is a problem once it becomes a way to fuck over local workforce.
WTF is „work-shy“? Unemployed-and-happy-about it? Either you work, in education or pay up for your time off.
Not all „foreigners“ is illegal migrants.
Doctor should control insurance status. Regardless if it's local or illegal migrant. Locals abusing insurance by working under table and not paying insurance is same BS.
I don’t know where you are from, but everywhere I lived I never had to be insured or to show my “insurance status” in order to receive medical care. In your country, what do they do with the homeless? They let them die?
Unless someone has plenty of inheritance or won a lottery... That's leeching.
In my corner of EU (and I believe in many other parts too), workforce (including actively looking for work), students and pensioners are automatically insured. If you want to receive state-paid services, you'll have to present your ID and staff will check your insurance status while checking you in and checking out medical history. If you're insured in another EU country, you'll have to present a proof of that.
Emergency care won't be refused for obvious reasons but you'll be billed. But non-emergency care will be refused if you got no coverage by public or private insurance. Paying out of pocket is an option in private sector and for some procedures in public hospitals.
There're plenty of organisations who work with homeless and try to convert them to good citizens. Helping to get paperwork, housing and education opportunities. Which gives health insurance as well.
However, hardcore homeless who have mental issues fall under long-term patients who would get insurance once their mental illness is confirmed.
But if you're unemployed, out of school and on your „sabbatical“ or whatever you call it.. Pay base rate for your insurance. State health insurance is 7% of a salary, thus base rate works out to €600/year based on current minimum wage.
TL;DR in a sanatorium with bills being met or in the right sanatorium as an indigent, there is no necessary role for immigration authorities, unless somebody "poked the bear"