RUMOR: Illegal aliens use emergency care all the time
FACT: Illegal aliens do not go to the emergency room more often than U.S. citizens. But, they are more likely to not pay for their services. According to Dr. Steve Camarota at the Center for Immigration Studies, "13 percent of native-born Americans are uninsured, so they pay the vast majority of the time. But more than 60 percent of illegal immigrants are uninsured, so they often don’t pay."
Because a larger percentage of illegal aliens are uninsured as compared to U.S. citizens, emergency rooms in areas with high illegal alien populations are more likely to be overcrowded.
SOURCE: Center for Immigration Studies, "The Elephant in the Room: Panel on Immigration’s Impact on Health Care Reform"
