(The Center Square) – As the taxpayer costs of health care for migrants in Illinois approaches $1 billion, some are saying enough is enough.
After an initial budget estimate by Gov. J.B. Pritzker for migrant health care of $550 million, that figure has ballooned to about $770 million.
During a news conference Thursday, state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said that money could be used to help people who already live in Illinois.
“The money spent on this program inevitably reduces funding and resources available for other crucial and essential programs for Illinois citizens,” Rezin said.
It was revealed this week by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services that nearly all copays have been eliminated for migrants. State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said everyone else has to pay insurance premiums and copays.
“Anybody listening, watching, reading this report tomorrow, gets up, goes to work and does their job, pays their health care premium, pays their kid’s ER copay, pays their kid’s doctor’s copay, and then non-citizens show up and it’s free,” Rose said. “This is nuts.”