A Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll showed 79 percent of residents think undocumented immigrants should receive emergency hospital treatment whether or not they have insurance or have the ability to pay.

Still, 17 percent think emergency rooms should not see them.

How the care should be paid for split respondents several ways, according to the Dan Jones & Associates survey of 413 Wasatch Front residents.

The federal government, charities and others (primarily a combination of public and private sources) each came out at 26 percent. Another 11 percent say state and local government should cover the costs, while 6 percent leave it to hospitals.

In some parts of the country, treating illegal immigrants has taken a toll on already strapped hospital budgets.

A 2002 study by the United States-Mexico Border Counties Coalition found that emergency care saddled hospitals in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with $200 million in unpaid bills.

The state Division of Health Care Financing was one of the few Utah government agencies that could calculate medical costs for illegal immigrants.

Last year, 4,146 people received emergency Medicaid, totaling $18.5 million or about $4,464 per person, according to a report generated for the Deseret Morning News. Emergencies include care for any condition reasonably expected to result in death or permanent disability, and labor and delivery.

By way of the comparison, the Utah State Prison health-care budget was $19.5 million last year. It covers medical, mental health, drugs, optometry and dental. The cost per inmate is about $3,150.

Because hospitals don't track immigration status, the total financial impact is hard to pinpoint. Uncompensated care costs for illegal immigrants nationwide remain uncertain, according to a 2004 General Accounting Office study.

That holds true in Utah.

Neither Intermountain Health Care nor University Hospital could quantify how much of their uncompensated care went to that population. Gordon Crabtree, University Hospital chief financial officer, estimated it as a "very minor part of" the overall charity care or bad debt.

Based on observation, however, administrators say the number of undocumented patients is growing.

"I can tell you anecdotally it is getting worse," Utah Hospital Association President Joe Krella said.

Hospitals will continue to provide charity care for undocumented patients because that is what they do.

"The frustration is that this is a federal issue and we don't have a consistent federal policy for dealing with it," Krella said.

The federal government this year through 2008 will provide $250 million a year to reimburse hospitals, certain doctors and ambulance services for emergency care for illegal immigrants.