Fogelman decries health insurance costs for illegal immigrants

A press release this past week from District 21B Rep. Marj Fogelman states that one of the reasons Minnesota is facing a projected budget deficit during the next budget cycle is due to the skyrocketing cost of the state providing free health insurance to illegal immigrants.

Fogelman states in her press release that, in 2023, a Democrat-led legislature and Gov. Tim Walz expanded MinnesotaCare eligibility to illegal immigrants. MinnesotaCare is a health coverage program for low-income individuals and families who do not have access to employee-sponsored health insurance and do not qualify for Medical Assistance (MA).

Fogelman said, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, 17,396 illegal immigrants are now enrolled in MinnesotaCare, more than twice the original estimate of 7,700. This means a program that was projected to cost $196 million over four years is now costing an estimated $550 million and counting, she added.

The federal government typically pays 90% of the costs for enrollees in MinnesotaCare with the state covering the other 10%, Fogleman continued. Illegal immigrants, however, don’t qualify for federal matching funds, meaning Minnesota taxpayers are being forced to cover 100% of these benefits.