Illegal Immigrants not a Burden on Health care

by Domenico Maceri

The exponential increase in health care costs inevitably forces us to look for answers. Because most undocumented workers in the US lack health care insurance and use medical emergency facilities, it's easy to blame them for at least part of the rising costs.

A recent report by the University of California and the Mexican government debunks this myth.

The research found that recent immigrants from Mexico are half as likely as US-born whites and Mexican Americans to use emergency room services.

The report, which did not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants, found that fewer than 10% of recent Mexican immigrants used emergency rooms in 2000, compared to about double that figure for others.

Who are recent immigrants? The research team defined them as individuals who came to the US fewer than ten years ago.

Why aren't recent immigrants using emergency services in large numbers since a lot of them lack standard medical insurance?

In general it's a cultural thing. People from other countries who may not know the language feel insecure about using services because they don't know the system.

In addition, those without legal papers are very reluctant to use medical services where they'll be asked to fill out forms, fearing the information could be used against them and end up in deportation.

This fear is unfounded in most states except Arizona, where voters approved Proposition 200 last year. The new law requires government officials to report to authorities individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.

Dr. Sarita Mohanty of the University of Southern California, who led the study, stated that the research does away with the assumption that immigrants' use of medical services is a "disproportionate financial burden" on American health care.

One of the findings of the report is that slightly less than half of the roughly six million Mexican immigrants residing in the US have medical insurance.

This lack of insurance is a reflection of poverty. However, the study also found that as the economic situation improves, so does the likelihood of the availability of medical insurance.

Of course, the report does not convince everybody. Members of the Federation of American Immigration Reform suggested that the report did not give the dollar amount undocumented workers cost in emergency rooms.

Although it is true that most undocumented workers using medical services pay little if anything, the responsibility is not just theirs but also their employers'.

It's a standard procedure for workers in the US to obtain their medical insurance from their employers. Unfortunately, because most undocumented workers toil in jobs that pay little, because their employers provide them no health insurance, and because they have no choice but to use emergency medical services when they are desperate for treatment, some costs are certainly incurred. However, it's a myth that undocumented workers are a disproportionate burden on American taxpayers, according to the California study.

But this myth is not going to go away easily. Undocumented workers came to the US without legal papers, and they engender strong negative emotions, particularly in the climate of insecurity of the post 9/11 era. If only these uninvited "guests" weren't in our country, as the line goes, our health care would be just fine.

That is, of course, not true. We have 45 million Americans without health insurance. That should anger people because basic health care should be available to everyone as it is in many western European countries.

As long as we continue to rely on private insurance, profits are going to be the driving force. If there are no profits to be made from them, significant numbers of people will be effectively excluded from insurance.

Relying on private insurance and the natural competition among providers should lower prices, but that has not been the case. Costs keep rising. Explanations for the rise are necessary and scapegoats are easily found. Undocumented workers are easy targets.

Health care is a basic human right. It should be available to all Americans. It should also be available to undocumented workers and their kids as well. People don't lose their humanity simply because they crossed the border illegally.

Domenico Maceri (dmaceri@gmail.com), PhD, UC Santa Barbara, teaches foreign languages at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA. His articles have appeared in many newspapers and some have won awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications.