Every day, illegal immigrants show up at University Medical Center and other local hospitals to be treated for a variety of ailments, from simple flu symptoms to traumatic life-threatening injuries.

Hospitals treat these conditions; it's their mission. But they are traditionally mum on how much of their uncompensated care goes toward the treatment of illegal immigrants. Anecdotally, though, professionals in Southern Nevada say UMC treats far more illegal immigrants than any other hospital in Nevada.

It's estimated that in 2006, UMC will provide $120 million in uncompensated care. The previous year, it provided $115 million.

In contrast, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, which provides many of the same services as UMC, provided $38 million in uncompensated care in 2005.

In 2003, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to pay hospitals, physicians and ambulance providers for services provided to illegal immigrants, aliens paroled into the United States and Mexican citizens permitted temporary entry into the United States with a visa. This became part of the Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003.

Under Section 1101 of the act, roughly $250 million was to be allocated to states through 2008 for care to illegal immigrants. Allocations are based on the size of each state's estimated illegal immigrant population.

For the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2005, the only period for which statistics are available, Nevada received $1.1 million in Section 1011 funding. Of that amount, UMC received about $1 million.

UMC had requested about $4.2 million.

"UMC got the lion's share, and that made a lot of sense,'' said Dwight Hansen, financial analyst for the Nevada State Hospital Association. "Admittedly, that hospital takes the most illegal aliens.''

Hansen said the reimbursements to health care providers for care provided to illegal immigrants -- or anyone who can't pay -- are just a "drop in the bucket'' compared to the cost to treat these patients.

Richard Powell, chief financial officer for UMC, said this cycle of providing care to people who can't pay will continue unless there's a way to get them insured.

"When less people are insured, it puts a strain on our safety net,'' he said. "People without health insurance tend not to go to a doctor for an exam. They wait until it's a serious problem, then they end up in the emergency department.''