Study: Illegals use relatively little U.S. health care

The debate over immigration reform, combined with the controversial implementation of Obamacare, is raising the prospect of thousands of illegal immigrants obtaining healthcare on the taxpayer's dime.

The Unicameral has even dealt with the issue several times, debating a program that offers prenatal care to undocumented immigrants.

We argued in favor of the service, pointing out that children born here are U.S. citizens, and it is wise, not to mention humane and fiscally prudent, to do all we can to make sure they are born healthy.

But how much do illegal immigrants actually use American healthcare?

Not as much as you might think, according to a study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

In fact, unauthorized immigrants use less health care than legal residents, naturalized citizens and U.S. natives, according to the results.

The study, published in the June issue the health policy journal "Health Affairs," analyzed health expenditure data from a medical expenditure panel survey taken between 2000 and 2009.

U.S. natives spend about $1 trillion in health care, it found. By contrast, all immigrants -- legal or not -- spend one-tenth that amount, or $96.7 billion. Unauthorized immigrants accounted for $15.4 billion of that total, or 15.9 percent.

It is true that undocumented immigrants received more charity care than U.S. natives, according to the study. An estimated 5.9 percent received care for which providers were not reimbursed, compared to 2.8 percent of U.S. natives in the same category, because most of the illegals did not have health insurance.

Unfortunately, illegals, and others without health insurance, find themselves in hospital emergency rooms and other federally qualified health centers, not necessarily the best or least expensive choice, but the only one available.

"These policies have merely shifted the financial burden of paying for the care of immigrants, and have potentially put the public's health at risk, when those who have infectious diseases defer treatment for illness," said Jim Stimpson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Health Policy at UNMC, who conducted the study.

One way to remedy the problem, Stimpson said, would be to give unauthorized immigrants access to preventive and treatment services for infectious diseases and to the insurance marketplace.

Others might say a better solution would be to drastically reduce the number of illegal immigrants allowed into the country.

In either case, the argument that illegals are unduly burdening our healthcare system should be kept in perspective.