SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — According to a recent study, Illinois’ contentious initiative providing health coverage to undocumented immigrant residents has significantly boosted hospital revenues.
The Chicago Sun-Times noted that approximately 40,000 individuals without lawful status or eligibility for federal Medicaid and Medicare programs are covered under Illinois’ insurance system.
In March 2022, Illinois implemented legislation that provides
free health insurance
Firstly for older immigrants, followed by those aged 55-64, and finally for all individuals who are at least 52 years old.
Without federal matching funds for providing treatment to immigrants as part of the state’s program
Health Advantages for Adult Immigrants
program, Illinois taxpayers were
left to cover the bill
.
The program mirrors Medicaid but is state-funded because non-citizens do not qualify for federal coverage.
Research conducted at the University of Chicago revealed that state initiatives, supported by public funds, enabled hospitals to decrease “unpaid bills” by approximately $1.5 million per facility.
The government reimbursed the hospitals for the healthcare services rendered, eliminating the need to invoice uninsured patients who were either unable to cover their costs or unwilling to do so.
After Governor JB Pritzker delivered his yearly budget speech, an
audit
discovered that the expenses related to the program and enrollments were
vastly underestimated
, costing taxpayers over $1.6 billion since it started in 2020.
The state anticipated the expense of the program for young individuals would be around $126 million; however, according to the audit, the total cost borne by taxpayers amounted to $485 million over a span of three years.
Pritzker omitted the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults initiative from his proposed budget for 2025. Approximately 30,000 non-citizens aged 42 to 64 are scheduled to lose their coverage beginning on July 1st.
The Immigrant Seniors Health Benefits initiative, meanwhile, had an initial allocation of $2 million for its inaugural year; however, this projection surged to $4 million during the setup phase in 2020. By December 2020, the total expense borne by taxpayers exceeded $67 million.
Over the course of three years, the program expense reached $412 million for the state — which is 84%.
greater than initially projected
.
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