can population, thus, is also increasing. Second, the overwhelming majority of the undocumented aliens in the United States arrive here nearly destitute and largely tend to remain in need (Capan, Beard, and Mashburn, 1993, pp. 53 55). Thus, the great majority of undocumented aliens are not going to be able to gain access to health care services by paying for such services. Third, the provision of free or subsidized health care services
to undocumented aliens restricts the funds available to provide free or subsidized health care services to indigent citizens and legal aliens in the country (Gelfand and Bialik Gilad, 1989, pp. 23 27). Funds to provide free or subsidized health care services to citizens and legal aliens in the United States are already scarce.
As costs associated with the delivery of health care services soared in the 1980s, third party funders, health care providers, and users of health care services sought to develop and implement procedures and programs which would either stabilize costs or reduce the rate of increase. Health care services funded by government received special scrutiny. None of the approaches thus far attempted has proven to be particularly successful.
Approximately 60 percent of the American population is covered by private health care insurance programs (Congressional Budget Office, 1993, p. 15). Most of these programs the very great majority are either fully or partly funded by employers, while the remainder are funded fully by the covered individuals and families. For the remaining 40 percent of the population, the delivery of health care services is either funded by the federal government (for approximately 25 percent of the population, primarily through the Medicaid program), or by individuals and families in the financial position to pay for health care services at the time of delivery, or deferred. When all is said and done, approximately 12 percent of the country's popul...