FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Tovia Siegel, tovia.siegel@healthyillinoiscampaign.org, (857) 544-2770
Today, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services published notice that enrollment will be paused for healthcare coverage for Illinois immigrants ages 42-64 under the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program. The notices also authorize a host of other changes to the program including co-pays and reduced hospital reimbursements.
Healthy Illinois strongly condemns the decision and calls on Governor Pritzker to reverse his decision immediately and work in good faith with advocates and members of the Illinois General Assembly to ensure that healthcare truly is a right, not a privilege in our state.
By slashing live-saving health coverage for Illinois immigrants, Governor Pritzker is turning his back on the communities he claims Illinois welcomes and aligning himself with anti-immigrant Republicans around the country.
Because of Governor Pritzker’s decision, there are people who will be forced to forgo cancer treatment, diabetes care, mental health care, and countless other kinds of necessary medical treatment. Today’s move is immoral and fiscally short-sighted, as Governor Pritzker himself said just last week “We save money when we invest in healthcare for undocumented immigrants…If they don’t get basic healthcare, they end up in an emergency room and we all end up paying for that at a much highest cost than if we have regular care and preventative care for people.”
If you are aged 42 or older and believe you may qualify for health coverage, regardless of your immigration status, apply immediately at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/.
Illinois made history in 2020 and set national precedent when we became the first state to expand coverage to low-income seniors regardless of immigration status. Today, we took a massive step backward by passing anti-immigrant, anti-public health, unjust administrative rules.
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The Healthy Illinois Campaign is a statewide coalition comprised of a diverse cross-section of immigrant and health care advocates including community members, providers, organizers, and policy experts. We are united by a common goal of making quality, affordable healthcare coverage accessible to all people in Illinois, regardless of immigration status.