here's what you guys are missing. Medical care is expensive. Everyone gets that. The issue is who has to pay for it.
Some people here think that everyone has a right to have life-saving treatment, damn the cost, and that someone else will pay. I see nowhere in our laws, our social contract, our morals, ethics, or values statements that leads me to believe that that is the right answer.
Lots of hypotheticals in this thread. But let's choose the one closest to me...that my 14 m/o girl gets some horrible, drawn-out disease. If I'm not willing to pay everything I have, sell everything I have, beg and borrow every dime I can from my parents to keep her alive, barter cleaning out the hospital for free during every off hour I can spare....why should every other American be forced to care more than I do?
I've used WIC, and I've used my unemployment insurance. I met the requirements to do so in each case and didn't feel an ounce of remorse b/c I paid for it beforehand, and wouldn't hesitate to use any program available to help my family.
I don't believe that just because someone is physically present within the borders of the United States that the government (and therefore, all of the ~50M taxpayers) is required to spend money to meet needs that they don't choose to meet. If I spent my entire (substantial for some people) paycheck on hookers/blow, why should I be paid by America to live in a nice city, be fed quality, nutritious food, and set up with medical care when I have my heart attack? "Because I feel like it?" Take that a step further...if I spent a smaller paycheck going to Disneyland (b/c I think every kid should go) and eating McD's 5x a week, the movies 2x a month and Starbucks every few days, watching cable TV and living in 1200sf b/c my kids need their own rooms, then why should I be paid by America to live in a nice city, be fed quality, nutritious food, and set up with medical care when I have my heart attack?
Work with the really poor for a bit and you'll see that it's not like the hypotheticals you have in your mind.