You don't understand. It's really a "good thing". Right now the average taxpayer pretty much ignores the whole immigrant medical drain thing because they feel that it's not their money. It's usually the hospitals that get stuck with the bill since they're required by law to treat anyone who shows up. There is a long legal history of requiring the fed govt to cough up money whenever they force an industry to comply with various "social engineering" laws and regulations, so this move is just bringing it into line with other areas such as highways and education.
Note that many states are passing laws saying that their schools can ignore unfunded federal education laws if the govt doesn't pay for them.
Most people haven't cared one way or another about the illegal immigrant drain on our medical system because most Americans are reasonably healthyand haven't seen how health care costs and service delays are rising in sync with this drain on our resources. The hospitals and medical insurance companies get stuck with the bill and by the time that bill gets passed along to the average citizen, it's so badly diluted that people just don't realize they're paying for that crap.
Well, now it's out in the open. If the Fed govt is going to require hospitals to treat these people, and if the fed and state govts are going to continue to allow the border to be breached as it is, then they damn well better pay for the services they require hospitals to provide. Why should the hospitals bear the burden, when all it does is make life suck for hospital personnel and we're all paying for it anyhow? It's just going to be out in the open now, and people will get a chance to see how much it REALLY costs to leave the border open and to allow illegal immigrants full and free access to health care and other government services. It might even be a bit cheaper for us since the money won't have to get funneled through the insurance companies.
Personally, I figure we ought to bill the Mexican govt for the services used by their citizens while here. WE pay for services when we visit Mexico, so turnabout is only fair. But that's just me.
Another solution is a work permit system that is taxed and regulated. Allow unlimited workers to enter the US on short-term work visas, as long as they cough up a percent of their income before leaving. Regulate and tax it, and come down HARD on employers who do not properly report salaries and turn in tax revenue. Make it a flat tax to ensure simple compliance. Even 5-10% would be enough.
