The New York Times recently carried a fascinating story on health care and how illegal immigrants both access what care is available and rely on non-traditional providers for their care. Some interesting facts in the article stood out:

• Some said they supplement their care on trips to Mexico or Central America, seeking out less expensive doctors and stocking up on pharmaceuticals before trying the risky crossing back;
• There is no firm projection of the medical costs incurred by the estimated 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the United States, a fourth of whom live in California. A RAND Corporation study in 2000, the most recent year available, pegged the cost at $6.4 billion, including $1.1 billion from public sources.
  
• It found the share of medical costs attributable to illegal immigrants was half as large as expected for their share of the population;
• Studies also find that newcomers are only half as likely as natives to use emergency rooms, which are required to treat patients regardless of immigration status. The California Hospital Association estimates that 10 percent of the state’s $9.7 billion in uncompensated care last year was for illegal immigrants.