Illinois taxpayers have paid out $1.6 billion for healthcare programs for illegal immigrants since 2020, far exceeding the spending projections estimated by Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration, according to a new state audit released this week at the request of GOP legislators.
The audit also discovered that, in many cases, state funds were spent on people who were either U.S. citizens or eligible for federal programs.
“This audit demonstrates that the governor, as well as the program, were prone to excessive spending. In an interview with Fox News Digital, state Senate Republican leader John Curran stated that it spent more than 200% more than budgeted and appropriated funds.
“And it also showed that the governor was unable to manage this program,” he told reporters.
“Thousands of people were allowed to sign up for free healthcare for years on the state taxpayer dime that should not have been eligible under the parameters laid out for this program, and the governor failed to even seek federal reimbursement when eligible on certain services for years, leaving federal dollars on the table.”
Illinois Auditor General Frank J. Mautino identified more than 6,000 people in the programs who were listed as “undocumented” but had Social Security numbers, and some of those people may be legal permanent residents eligible for Medicaid, allowing the state to receive federal funding for them.
The state reviewed 94 cases and determined that 19 should have been classified as legal residents rather than noncitizens.
The senior health program also included nearly 700 people under the age of 65. A review revealed that many of the errors were caused by incorrect birth dates, which were corrected later.
According to the audit, nearly 400 enrollees had been in the country for more than five years and should have been eligible for Medicaid.
The state admitted that some of those individuals were incorrectly enrolled, costing the state federal matching funds. The report suggested that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services seek federal reimbursement for the lost funds.
The auditor’s report, which Curran referred to as “gross mismanagement” in a press conference, came just one week after Pritzker proposed cutting funding for a program that provides Medicaid-like coverage to illegal immigrants under 65 and legal immigrants without a green card.
The proposed reduction, which is expected to save $330 million, was a key component of Pritzker’s strategy to address a more than $3 billion budget deficit.
“The governor was papering over this large spending with tax increases over the last several years, as well as COVID relief funds being spent on this rather than actually trying to rein in spending in the state of Illinois,” according to Curran.
“Now that federal dollars have tapered off, we have a large budget deficit in Illinois this year and the governor is now being forced to try to end the program for all working adults.”
“We cannot afford this,” Curran added. “The state of Illinois, and its taxpayers, should not be burdened with providing free healthcare, particularly to the working-age population.
People who should be working, paying taxes, and getting healthcare in the marketplace, just like every other Illinois state taxpayer, so we want to end the program.
As of December, 41,505 people were enrolled in the two programs, which are part of the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, which Pritzker has proposed eliminating beginning July 1.
Despite his plan to cut funding for healthcare programs, Pritzker stated during a Wednesday press conference that he supports some form of universal health coverage: “The broader context is people need to get health care.”
He continued: “It’s some evidence, anyway, that there are an awful lot of people out there that need coverage who aren’t getting it or who will do anything to get it, and I think that’s a sad state of affairs in our society.”
Curran elaborated: “Pritzker, from day 1, is taking an adversarial approach to President Donald Trump and his administration, and that has really put Illinois and really the city of Chicago in focus.”
“What we would like to see is a more cooperative tone,” said the leader.
Since Trump took office, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement has detained hundreds of illegal immigrants in Chicago, which is considered a sanctuary city.
Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson opposed Trump’s mass deportation plan, promising in January to protect residents regardless of immigration status.
Pritzker’s office did not respond to a request for comment by the publication deadline.
