Don't you think that a more effective insurance program would insulate the general public against those costs, though, rattler? I'm on state co-op healthcare right now, and it's actually better in many respects than when I was covered on TriCare, the military's insurance program. (Which, despite all of its shortcomings, is worlds better than most private insurers.) If my income were just a little bit higher, or the premiums a little bit lower, I could buy a policy from the co-op itself instead of through the state, and then my coverage would be undeniably better. (The state formulary doesn't cover the $700-per-month prescription that I need, as it's a patented drug with no generic alternative.)
Illegal immigrants make up less than 7% of the population, according to last year's census and immigrationcounters.com (a glaringly anti-immigration page who's estimate of the illegal immigrant population is about twice the size of any other figure I found.) On the other hand, as of a 2005 study by the federal Health and Human Services department, found that 16% of the populace is uninsured. I believe that figure includes illegal residents, but even if it does, that means that more than half the uninsured are legal citizens. (Otherwise, the ratio jumps up to more than two thirds.)
I agree that illegal immigration causes a lot of financial troubles, but I certainly don't think it's the lion's share of the problem when it comes to health insurance. I don't see any reason to believe that immigration must be tackled first before taking on health care; it sounds like a tea-bagger talking point to me. Immigration reform is going to cost a ton of money and the benefits for your average citizen will be neither immediate nor direct. Accessible health insurance will improve my quality of life, and my work prospects, as soon as it happens, and I think the same is true for a vast majority of uninsured Americans. Getting citizens working and out of poverty is much more important (not to mention productive,) from my perspective, than driving out illegals that are just going to come back anyways because corporate America wants their cheap labor.
~Joe