Illinois, led by Democrats, allocated more funding for free healthcare for undocumented immigrants than it did for foster children, seniors, roads, and the arts combined.
The 2025 budget is set to surpass $53.1 billion, with more than $1 billion in new taxes expected to be implemented as early as June 2024.
Despite this significant tax increase, Governor J.B. Pritzker approved $629 million for a health insurance program called Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) aimed at undocumented residents.
According to the Illinois Policy Institute, this increase in resources for undocumented individuals amounts to billions of taxpayer dollars.
The expenditures are substantial, with claims that Illinois spends more on these health benefits than on transportation projects, senior meal preparations, foster care, and funding for the Illinois Arts Council combined.
From 2020 to 2025, Illinois expanded health insurance coverage for undocumented immigrants, even in the face of significant budget overruns. Originally, the program targeted undocumented individuals over 65 but gradually lowered the eligibility age, eventually including those 42 and older.
However, the soaring costs have led Pritzker to announce major cuts in benefits for the 2026 budget, recognizing the limitations of state finances amidst a $3.2 billion deficit.
In the end, after just three years, many undocumented immigrants lost access to their state-funded healthcare due to budget cuts aimed at addressing the deficit. While Pritzker emphasizes efforts to maintain healthcare access, there’s an indication that a limit must be reached, especially following his move to pause the program last June.
The 2026 budget reduced funding but did not entirely eliminate the healthcare program for undocumented immigrants.
