Older People Will Soon Receive Health Coverage in Illinois Regardless of Immigration Status Under First-in-Nation Program

In Illinois, hundreds of low-income men and women 65 and older will be allowed to avail themselves of Medicaid-like healthcare coverage this December regardless of immigration status, reports the Chicago Tribune . Between 400 and 2,000 people are expected to enroll initially, and Illinois is the first U.S. state to fully fund such a program for noncitizen immigrant seniors. But coinciding with this is a new study showing that the population of older immigrants without legal status in Illinois should swell exponentially in the next decade. Healthy Illinois Campaign Director Graciela Guzman said the study implies that the expansion is just a first step, and her group has campaigned for a bill to ensure healthcare for all Illinoisans regardless of income or immigration status since 2016. According to the unpublished study, the state's 65-to-74 age demographic should experience 12-fold growth while people lacking legal immigration status who are 75 to 84 should increase 11-fold — leading to more than 55,000 older Illinoisans without legal immigration status in 2030. The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus is supporting the health coverage expansion in response to data indicating that uninsured older people who got COVID-19 could risk more severe complications. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services' Evan Fazio said the program should cost the state $5 million, which is modest compared to taxed paid by the group covered. Although the effort will benefit all noncitizen seniors 65 and older below the poverty line, most immigrants in that age group are Latino.