Illinois initially offered the health care benefits in 2020. The programs initially provided Medicaid-style coverage to immigrants 65 and older who were in the country without legal permission, or who had green cards but haven’t completed a five-year waiting period and are therefore ineligible for the traditional health insurance program for the poor, which is jointly funded by the federal government. The programs have been expanded twice and now cover those 42 and older.

The two programs launched in Illinois at a time when Medicaid redeterminations — annual checks that verify whether an enrollee is eligible for that benefit — were put on pause by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Munks said this year will be the first time enrollees in the state-funded immigrant health care programs, which are separate from Medicaid, will be subject to redetermination.

The health care programs became a major sticking point in budget negotiations last year. In his budget proposal a year ago, Pritzker pitched $220 million for the program. But as projected costs rose to $1.1 billion, he ended up striking a deal that set aside $550 million for the benefits.

The subsequent move to limit enrollment drew criticism from Latino communities at the time. The group Healthy Illinois, which advocated for the program, called Pritzker’s decision “immoral and fiscally short-sighted.”

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, this year indicated they had issues with continuing to fund the program.

Prior to the funding issues last year, Pritzker had said he believes “everyone, regardless of documentation status, deserves access to holistic health care coverage.”

The programs do not extend to the asylum-seekers primarily arriving in Chicago from Texas.

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(Olander reported and Laura Rodriguez Presa contributed from Chicago.)

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