Lawsuit Filed Over Immigrant Medical Costs

• Plaintiffs want LA County to enforce a law that requires immigration sponsors to pay for patients' healthcare.

Supporters of stricter immigration law enforcement have filed suit against Los Angeles County in an effort to force health officials to seek reimbursement from the sponsors of legal immigrants for medical services the patients receive from public hospitals.Sponsors of legal immigrants to the United States must submit an 'affidavit of support,' promising to pay for certain public services -- such as non-emergency medical assistance -- as part of the admissions requirements for the immigrant. The law was introduced in 1996 and was billed by supporters as a means to prevent the U.S. welfare system from serving as a primary magnet to newcomers.But Los Angeles County, along with most other local governments throughout the state, have never sought to bill the sponsor of an immigrant. As a result, the plaintiffs contend, taxpayers end up paying for medical costs that the immigrants or their sponsors should pay. [more ]