Re: WHY? (Re: One-pot dish)

On 11/25/2024 3:07 AM, songbird wrote:
> yep.
> 
>    nationally available health care shouldn't be an
> issue in such a rich society.

And it might not be if we were just paying for LEGAL CITIZENS" health care!

Wakey, wakey!

https://budget.house.gov/download/the-cost-of-illegal-immigration-to-taxpayers

Illegal immigrants make extensive use of welfare. Based on government 
data, we
estimate that 59 percent of households headed by illegal immigrants use 
one or more
major welfare programs, compared to 39 percent of households headed by 
the U.S.-born.
• Based on their use rate of major welfare programs, we estimate that 
illegal immigrants
receive $42 billion in benefits, or about 4 percent of the total cost of 
the cash, Medicaid,
food and housing programs examined in our study. However, this is only a 
rough
approximation due to limitations in the data.
• Illegal immigrants can receive welfare on behalf of U.S.-born 
children. Also, illegal
immigrant children can receive school lunch/breakfast and WIC directly. 
A number of
states provide Medicaid to some illegal immigrants, and a few provide 
SNAP. Several
million illegal immigrants also have work authorization (e.g. DACA, TPS 
and some
asylum applicants), allowing receipt of the EITC.

• Use of emergency medical services is another area in which illegal 
immigrants create
significant fiscal costs. Prior research indicates that there are 5.8 
million uninsured illegal
immigrants in the country in 2019, accounting for a little over 
one-fifth of the total
population without health insurance. The costs of providing care to them 
likely totals
some _$7 billion annually_.