The cost to care for undocumented immigrants is part of the reason why the Miami-Dade County's public hospital system is struggling with growing financial losses that border on the disastrous. Losses are expected to escalate to $168 million next year because of South Florida's unique problems—high numbers of uninsured and high healthcare costs that keep increasing the ranks of the uninsured. On the national level, the issue of undocumented immigrants has become politically explosive.