I apologize, I thought they did qualify for Medicaid. However two things: 1) Not having insurance immigrants often go to the emergency room for basic care, and either receive charity care or simply don't pay their bills. When the cost of their care goes unmet, other people are charged more to make up for the cost of it. I'm not by a long shot saying illegal immigrants are the reason Americans receive a $9,000 bill for an hour at the ER but it's something to consider. 2) As a country with birthright citizenship, the American-born children of illegal immigrants do qualify for Medicaid, subsidized tuition, scholarships, etc. because they often come from families with low incomes. The cost of this is paid largely by middle class taxpayers, not the illegal immigrants themselves.

Ultimately I am in favor of progressive reform. I think if there was a universal single-payer healthcare system in the U.S. and affordable tuition at public universities and colleges, we would be much better off and anti-immigrant sentiment would die down. But I think immigration reform should come after other reforms to help the middle class, and after we make sure that those reforms are working for American citizens.