At least seven states and the District of Columbia have offered coverage for illegals since mostly 2020. But three of them have done an about-face, ending or limiting coverage for hundreds of thousands of illegals in California, Illinois and Minnesota.
The programs cost way more than officials had projected at a time when the states are facing multibillion-dollar deficits now and in the future. In Illinois, illegals in the age range of 42-64 are being denied free health care to save an estimated $404 million. All adult illegals in Minnesota no longer have access to the state program, saving nearly $57 million. In California, no one will automatically lose coverage, but new enrollments for adults will stop in 2026 to save more than $3 billion over several years.
Cuts in all three states were backed by Democratic governors who once championed expanding health coverage to illegals.
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican, said the state's program was not sustainable.
“It wasn’t about trying to be non-compassionate or not caring about people," she said. "When we looked at the state budget, the dollars were not there to support what was passed and what was being spent.”
Demuth also noted that children will still have coverage, and adults lacking permanent legal status can buy private health insurance.
