Illinois non-citizen health care co-pays not ready yet as program near
capacity
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[October 19, 2023]
By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – An Illinois department tasked with running a $550
million health care plan for non-citizens, subsidized by Illinois
taxpayers, says they are not yet ready to move forward with cost saving
co-pays with the program already nearing capacity.
In 2020, Illinois taxpayers began to subsidize the cost of undocumented
immigrant health care for those over the age of 65. In 2022, the state
budget included subsidizing coverage for those over the age of 42. As
part of the state's fiscal year 2024 budget that began July 1, Gov. J.B.
Pritzker modified the program to only cover those over 65 for a total
budgeted amount of $550 million. There would also be co-pays paid for by
the enrollee and cost-sharing measures paid for by the service provider.
Omar Shaker, chief of administrative rules for the Illinois Department
of Healthcare and Family Services, told the Joint Committee on
Administrative Rules Tuesday they're not ready yet to implement the
co-pays.
"We do concede that at this time, we are not prepared to move forward
with the co-pay and cost-sharing elements," Shaker said. "The earliest
would probably be Jan. 1, but I'm not 100% certain that will be the
date."
Illinois has seen over 16,000 noncitizens arrive over the past 13
months, and more are expected to continue being bused to Chicago from
the southern border.
Over the span of several years that the subsidized health care program
for migrant seniors has been in effect, Shaker said there are more than
16,100 enrollees in it.
"We have become concerned and are monitoring it at a higher level,"
Shaker said.
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Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services attorney Omar
Shaker
BlueRoomStream
The Pritzker administration had said the state will suspend the program
if enrollment for the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program
reaches 16,500. In that July announcement, the administration also said
they were going to implement a $100 co-pay for hospital emergency room
visits and $250 co-pay for inpatient hospitalizations, measures that
have yet to be implemented.
State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, said the longer the state waits,
the more money it will cost taxpayers.
"Illinois is a sanctuary state. If it's $1.1 billion or $65 million,
this is going to keep adding up," Niemerg told The Center Square. "This
is a burden on the taxpayers for illegal immigration. These are illegal
aliens that have come into the state of Illinois."
Shaker said the number of enrollees continued to increase as well. In
June, the total was 15,000. Now, there are more than 16,000 enrollees.
Niemerg said there is no way of knowing what this continuing increase
will cost taxpayers.
"I'd like to know what the real cost actually is," Niemerg said. "I've
asked what is the real cost on Illinois taxpayers as a result of these
open border policies."
Legislators will continue to discuss the plan in the coming months.
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