States expand health coverage for immigrants as GOP hits Biden over border crossings

An increasing number of US states are extending taxpayer-backed health insurance programs to immigrants, even those unauthorized to live in the US as criticism rises over President Joe Biden's management of the influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border. Currently, eleven states together with Washington, D.C., offer complete health insurance for over a million low-income immigrants, irrespective of their legal status, as denoted by state data collected by KFF Health News. Most of these immigrants are unauthorized. According to forecasts, enrollments in these programs may double by 2025 as a minimum of seven states aim to begin or boost coverage. This month, virtually Republican Utah has commenced covering children regardless of immigration status, and New York and California are broadening eligibility to include more adults.

The interest in providing healthcare to the unauthorized immigrant population has been triggered mainly by two factors: the covid-19 pandemic underlined the importance of insurance coverage in controlling the spread of infectious disease and some states want to further reduce the record low uninsured rate in the country by focusing on undocumented individuals. Additionally, states are responding to hospital appeals to ease the financial strain of caring for uninsured patients.

However, this trend of extending health coverage is happening against a backdrop of growing antagonism towards immigrants among Republicans. There are concerns about the long-term financial viability of these programs, as illustrated by the case of Illinois which recently suspended enrollment due to cost issues. Critics argue that providing these benefits may create incentives for unauthorized immigration.

Despite the controversy, the reality is that many of these immigrants, who often have no options for legal residency, have been living in the US for years, contributing to society and the economy. The state with the highest number of unauthorized immigrants with state-provided health insurance is California, currently covering about 655,000 immigrants regardless of legal status and looking to extend this coverage.

While a number of states continue to expand coverage, constraints are being put in place to manage spending, such as enrollment limits. Advocates for this expanded coverage argue that it is a necessary step towards ensuring healthcare for all community members, regardless of legal status. They stress that access to regular, reliable healthcare can help reduce costs and stress on health systems and communities.