Peoria Standard

Illinois state Rep. Jason Bunting (R-Dwight) recently took to social media to share insight on the potential cost of the state’s Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program.

“Expected cost for Illinois’ noncitizen health care program grows to $1.1 billion,” he said in a May 8 Facebook post.

In his post, Bunting also shared a link to an article from The State Journal-Register that reported the program is expected to cost $880 million more than the initial proposed $220 million in Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2023-2024 budget.

“As of the end of March, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services estimated it would cost $990 million to fund the program that provides state-funded health care to individuals age 42 and older who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if not for their citizenship status,” the article said.

The Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program is for individuals between 42 and 64 years of age who are either legal permanent residents for less than five years or “undocumented immigrants”—including those in a Temporary Protected Status.

To qualify, an adult must also be an Illinois resident with a 2022 annual household income at or below $18,754 for one person; or at or below $25,268 combined income for a two-person household. The income limit changes based on the number of household members. Individuals 65 and over may be eligible for another program known as Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors.

The noncitizen medical program offers $0 premiums and copayments with covered services including doctor and hospital care, prescription drugs, lab tests, physical and occupational therapy, mental health, and dental and vision care.

Although the program’s price is exceeding initial estimates, The Journal-Register reported in a separate article that costs are stabilizing.

“While the presentation laid out higher-than-expected costs for the program, it also noted per-enrollee costs for those age 65 and older are stabilizing because enrolled individuals are getting chronic conditions under control,” the article said. “For all groups, initial costs were higher due to the number of long-untreated conditions now receiving care.”