State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) continued his fight to stop spending limited resources on illegal immigrants in Illinois. His most recent comments this week at the State Capitol:
Audit shows Pritzker Administration vastly underestimated the cost of immigrant healthcare program.
On Wednesday, the Illinois Auditor General released the results of an audit of the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors and Adults programs, which showed that the State of Illinois has already spent over $1.6 billion in taxpayer funds on health benefits for undocumented immigrants.
According to the Auditor General’s report released on February 26, Governor Pritzker’s administration vastly underestimated the actual cost and actual enrollment of the HBIS and HBIA programs.
Regarding the initial cost estimates for all three fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023:
o for HBIS (65+) the total estimate was $224.0 million, while the actual total cost was $412.3 million or 84 percent higher;
o for HBIA (55-64) the total estimate was $58.4 million, while the actual total cost was $223.1 million or 282 percent higher; and
o for HBIA (42-54) the total estimate was $68.0 million, while the actual total cost was $262.2 million or 286 percent higher.
The total cost for the HBIS and HBIA programs since inception was just over $1.6 billion (for FY21-FY24). Fiscal Year 2025 has an estimated cost of $629 million, which was not included in the audit, bringing the total estimated cost of the programs to $2.2 billion.
Regarding the estimated number of enrollees, in FY23:
o for HBIS (65+), the initial estimated number of enrollees was 6,700, while the actual number enrolled was 15,831;
o for HBIA (55-64), the initial estimated number of enrollees was 8,000, while the actual number enrolled was 17,024; and
o for HBIA (42-54), the initial estimated number of enrollees was 18,800, while the actual number enrolled was 36,912.
Last week, Governor Pritzker proposed ending the HBIA program for undocumented immigrant adults aged 42-64 in his proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The State of Illinois has already spent nearly $1 billion on health benefits for this age group, with actual costs being 282 to 286 percent higher than the administration’s initial estimates. Gov. Pritzker only proposed eliminating this
program for adults aged 42-64, while keeping the HBIS program intact for undocumented immigrants aged 65+.