Healthcare Reform and Illegal Immigrants

FoxNews
July 31, 2009

Health care reform could end up bailing out employers who hire illegal immigrants and skimp on their health benefits. Under the legislation being considered on Capitol Hill, undocumented workers would technically not be covered. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said as much in an interview Sunday.

"No, illegal immigrants are not covered by this plan," she said.

But the reality, immigration analysts say, is that the legislation is missing any mechanism to keep illegals out of the system. And if they exploit that loophole, taxpayers could be on the hook for billions to cover health care costs their employers do not.

Already, illegal immigrants account for $10.7 billion in state and federal health care spending, according to preliminary numbers from The Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Special projects director Jack Martin said that amount, which derives in large part from emergency room visits and births, would only rise unless the health care proposals on the Hill are changed.

"The bill in its current form is going to be tempting to illegal immigrants who are not yet receiving medical benefits," Martin said. "We would expect that the cost would increase."