Trump’s Hunt for Undocumented Medicaid Enrollees Yields F...

What’s Happening

So get this: Federal health officials have ordered states to reverify the immigration status of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees.

After seven months, findings from five states show the reviews have uncovered few immigrants without legal status who are improperly receiving benefits. Trump’s Hunt for Undocumented Medicaid Enrollees Yields Few Violators By Phil Galewitz Republish This Story (iStock/ Plus) Last August, as part of the federal government’s crackdown on people in the country illegally, the Trump administration sent states the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees with orders to determine whether they were ineligible based on immigration status. (shocking, we know)

This story also ran on States Newsroom .

The Details

It can be republished for free . But seven months later, findings from five states d with KFF Health News show that the reviews have uncovered little evidence of a widespread problem.

Citizens and some lawfully present immigrants are eligible for Medicaid, which covers health care costs for people with low incomes and disabilities, and the closely related Children’s Health Insurance Program. Both programs are administered by states.

Why This Matters

Spokespeople from Pennsylvania’s and Colorado’s Medicaid agencies dropped, as of March, the states had found no one who needed to be terminated from Medicaid. That was after checking a combined 79,000 names. Texas has reviewed records of more than 28,000 Medicaid enrollees at the Trump administration’s request and terminated coverage for 77 of them, according to Jennifer Ruffcorn, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Human Services.

Medical professionals are taking note of this development.

The Bottom Line

In announcing the reviews, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Dropped: “We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law.

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