Valles

1
Undocumented Immigrants with Health Insurance
In the United States there are about 11.7 million undocumented immigrants and like any

other person at some time they will need to go to the hospital or be seen by a doctor at sometime.
In order for an individual to avoid the extreme high costs of medical bills they get health
insurance, but for undocumented immigrants they are barred from this. Although it is stated in
the Affordable Care Act that undocumented immigrants cannot receive any form of insurance,
there are loopholes that allow them to go around these restrictions. Since they are able to go
around the law, how is this economically affecting citizens and the United States?
Undocumented immigrants should not be able to receive federal, state, or county funded health
coverage through community health centers and Emergency Medicaid because in order for these
options to remain effective in the United States it uses taxpayers money and grants to help fund
them. By allowing undocumented immigrants access to these options will only lead to more
economic conflicts and hardship.
The Affordable Care Act is a law that allows Americans to own health insurance or find
health coverage through programs like Medical, Medicaid, or Emergency Medicaid at an
affordable cost, but in order to do so one must be a legal citizen. It instills that citizens get
expanded coverage, garneted more choice, and enhance the quality of care for Americans
(Medicaid.gov) but the law does exclude one social good, undocumented immigrants, it prevents
them from participating in state exchange insurance market places (Edward, Jean), but there
are loopholes that allow them to find ways to bypass the law through places and programs such
as health centers and Emergency Medicaid. All of these are funded through federal grants or
through taxpayer money. Not only is the government funding the option for citizens to get

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medical help; they are also funding people here illegally. So the question is, what are these
undocumented immigrants doing to Americas economy?
According to writer Matt Cover for the CNSNews article the Federation for American
Immigration Reform (FAIR) calculated about $11 billion is spent a year treating illegal
immigrants. Which leads to the question: how are they able to receive treatment? Because by law
hospitals cannot ask a person for their legal status, it creates a loophole by allowing
undocumented immigrants the opportunity to go to a hospital where they take advantage of the
Emergency Medicaid program. Over the years it has been seen that through the Emergency
Medicaid program a large amount of those who use this are people here illegally. Instead of
having poor citizens utilize this program, undocumented immigrants are the ones exploiting this
program instead. Based on Matt Covers findings, According to the CIS study, illegals
accounted for 13.1 percent of all federal costs of covering the uninsured in 2004, an estimated
$2.2 billion per year. Seventeen percent of households headed by an illegal immigrant were
using Medicaid, accounting for 1.7 percent of all Medicaid recipients. The United States
provides citizens with Medicaid so that they are insured but more undocumented immigrants are
finding ways to access this program, which lead to seeing more illegals using this program. Since
its been shown that they use the program more than citizens we can conclude that they are only
taking away from federal funding that could be used for uninsured citizens. Taxpayers also pay
for, Each anchor baby [that] costs taxpayers an estimated $10,000 each on average These
costs are usually paid through Medicaid, the federal program designed to aid Americas poor.
(Matt Cover). As you can see here again, not only are programs for citizens being taken away,
taxpayers money is being used to take care of people who do not contribute in yearly taxes
because they are here illegally.

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Similar to hospitals Emergency Medicaid program, community health centers are

locations where they do not inquire about immigration status and they are also federally funded
through grants. Based on an article from the American Medical Association in 2007, Anjana Lal
found that 99 percent of North Carolias health care spending as well as frequent visits to the
hospital was spent on undocumented immigrants. Because health centers do not ask a person
what their legal status is, it creates a loophole that allows an undocumented immigrant to take
advantage of federal money to fund their health issues. Due to health care spending on
undocumented immigrants, it is unfair to taxpayers to see how their money is being spent.
Because these centers are funded by the government, this place should only be offered to citizens
who cannot afford to have insurance and, or cannot afford to go to a private care facility.
Facilities and programs like these are just part of the many things citizens pay for through taxes,
but with loopholes it is not right that taxpayers money is being used to pay for those illegally
here.
Although a majority of people would argue that undocumented immigrants are human too
who need the same medical help as a citizen, I can argue that the United States cannot continue
to medically support those here illegally when its citizens should be the ones who should come
first. Granted if the United States does not treat an illegal person that has a contagious disease,
such as the newly found disease in America, Ebola, then it would only lead to a mass outbreak;
however, logically this would not happen due to strict health regulations the state has set. A
person may also argue say that it is unfair for an undocumented immigrant to not receive any
medical help from programs that help citizens with their financial status, but health programs
like Medicaid and Emergency Medicaid are federally funded through taxpayer money which
they again do not help contribute to at the end of the year. Although they should not have the

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chance of receiving medical help through federal programs, they should have a chance to buy
private health insurance; even though this may not be the best financial root to go for them, it is
the only way to insure citizens come first. Based on what is morally correct and logically correct,
the United States must put its citizens first by allowing sole access of health care for citizens
only.
With 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, governments cannot
afford to continue to fund medical programs that are mainly being used by those here illegally.
Seeing that pregnant undocumented immigrants only come to the states so that their children
become citizens where they go through the Emergency Medicaid program that is only increasing
the amount of federal taxpayer money being spent on them rather than on citizens. Over the
years it has been found that more illegal immigrants are using federal programs like Medicaid
and Emergency Medicaid than do citizens. Although it is financially difficult for illegal
immigrants to own privately bought insurance, it is the only way to insure that citizens get access
to programs theyre paying for and that illegal immigrants are also following the law by being
insured. Ultimately, by not creating stricter laws that cut down on loopholes within federal, state,
or county funded programs, such as the Emergency Medicaid program and community health
centers. Then economic spending on illegal immigrants will only continue to increase.

Works Cited
"Affordable Care Act | Medicaid.gov." Affordable Care Act | Medicaid.gov. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Cover, Matt. "Illegal Immigrants Account for $10.7 Billion of Nation's Health Care Costs, Data
Show." CNS News. 29 July 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

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Edward, Jean. "Undocumented Immigrants and Access to Health Care: Making a Case for Policy
Reform." Undocumented Immigrants and Access to Health Care: Making a Case for
Policy Reform. 6 May 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.
Lal, Anjana. "Virtual Mentor." VM. American Medical Association, 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Preston, Julia. "Number of Illegal Immigrants in U.S. May Be on Rise Again, Estimates Say."
The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Zamosky, Lisa. "Health Care Options for Undocumented Immigrants." Los Angeles Times. Los
Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.