Any kind of research in this area has to use the family as the unit of analysis. To just look at parents and grandparents is not going to tell you anything. If you're going to look at economics, or any of that, you're going to have to look at how they fit into a larger family strategy for immigration settlement and retention.
The issue of whether or not they're going to put a burden on the health care system is pure speculation. It's the equivalent of saying they're old—like the quote from the journalist that they're going to die soon—as opposed to looking at them as actually making a contribution. Little kids get sick too and are very expensive.
We are working with a lot of myths, and the only way to really get around those is to look at how they fit into a much broader social network.