The program, begun in 2020 by now-Illinois Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, was supposed to cost only $2 million annually and provide Medicaid healthcare to non-citizens 55 and older. However, the program exceeded the $2 million cost in its first month.

Each year afterward, the program ballooned as the eligible age was lowered to include those 42 and older. This program is Illinois Medicaid fee-for-service, a much better and more costly program than Medicaid managed care, which citizens on Medicaid are put on in Illinois.

Last year, the cost for FY 2024 was estimated to be $1.1 billion. As part of the budget negotiations, Pritzker and the Democrats agreed to cap the number of enrollees and require a co-pay for services. The budgeted amount was put at $550 million.

Just months later, however, the cost for the program was set to exceed $831 million, as noted in this article from October 2023.

Now, cost overruns are causing the Governor to make changes as there has been ZERO ability to control costs. From this FOX News article,

“In a statement last week, the state announced changes would be coming to the eligibility requirements for the Healthcare Benefits for Immigrant Adults and Seniors program, as the cost to run the initiative ballooned to more than $1 billion over the last year.

Illegal immigrants and non-citizen green card holders who have been in the U.S. for fewer than five years will no longer be covered by a pair of the state’s health insurance programs beginning April 1, according to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS).”

Still Missing – A full accounting of all expenses related to those who entered the country illegally in the last month or in the last ten years.

On a similar note, I want to correct all the headlines about Illinois’ losing population in the last year.