HEALTH CARE BELIEFS QUESTIONED REPORT: IMMIGRANTS NOT TO BLAME FOR CRISIS IN MEDICAL COSTS.

Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers seek ways to care for millions of Californians without medical insurance, a study released Wednesday says policy changes will be difficult to implement because of differences in how residents use the health care system.

The 183-page report by the Public Policy Institute of California also dispels some commonly held beliefs, finding that immigrants and their children generally don't seek care at hospitals and emergency rooms any more often than U.S.-born residents.

``With the nation now approaching 12 million illegal immigrants, the issue of un- or underinsured Americans has reached critical proportions,'' said PPIC President and Chief Executive Officer David W. Lyon. ``Meanwhile, Californians have an interest in health insurance not only because so many regions of the state have low-wage workers but also because the cost of providing care to the uninsured inevitably rests with the county governments and taxpayers of the state.''

The findings come as Schwarzenegger seeks solutions to fix the crippled health care system in California, which has 6.6 million uninsured people, more than any other state. Schwarzenegger says the average California family pays about $1,200 a year in health insurance premiums to cover the uninsured. Next year, the governor said he'd like to address this ``hidden tax'' and work to make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone.

Earlier this month, state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, unveiled a proposal that would provide coverage for all uninsured working Californians, or 4.2 million people. The remaining 2 million people would continue to receive care through the public health system. But some critics question whether government intervention will help or create more problems.

``The best way to reduce health care costs is to inject more competition and less, not more, government interference,'' said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. ``The notion that all taxpayers should pay for the health care of individuals who don't bother to even try to get insurance themselves is morally wrong.''

As lawmakers debate the issue, PPIC research fellow Marianne Bitler said the report underscores the complexities in fixing the state's health care system.

``The results of this study both challenge and support some widespread assumptions,'' Bitler said. ``I think that many people might be surprised to know that these immigrant adults are no more likely than U.S.-born adults, and in some cases less likely than U.S.-born adults, to have used a hospital overnight during the two years before they were interviewed.''

Dispelling common myths, the study also found that children with a foreign-born parent are no more likely than children with a U.S-born parent to use an emergency room. Children with a naturalized parent are less likely to do so.

``These findings suggest that concerns about immigrants and their children disproportionately using hospitals and ERs may not be well-founded for Los Angeles County,'' the report said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has long raised concerns about the impact illegal immigrants have on the county health system, saying they cost taxpayers $360 million annually.

A recent Rand Corp. study released last month put the price tag at $204 million. It estimated that taxpayers spend about $1.1 billion annually for undocumented immigrants ages 18 to 64. The Rand study noted that immigrants use relatively few health services, primarily because they are generally healthier than their American-born counterparts.

County Department of Health Services spokesman Michael Wilson said the PPIC study is in line with the department's view that undocumented residents are just one component -- not the cause -- of the county's health-care crisis.

``Without providing care to a single undocumented resident, the Department of Health Services would still have more patients without health insurance coverage, the cause of the department's chronic budget deficit,'' Wilson said. ``The real problem is the growing numbers of uninsured and the rising costs of health care. The study shows the need for making health care reform and broad insurance coverage a national priority.''

The report found Latinos are more likely than any other group to be uninsured, noting that about 38 percent of Latino adults and 24 percent of Latino children are uninsured.

The study also found that Latino and Asian adults are less likely than white adults to see doctors -- and Latinos were less likely to see dentists. In contrast, black adults were somewhat more likely than white adults to have seen a doctor.

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

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