Southern Illinois News

Mike Bost, the representative for Illinois Congressional District 12, expressed his support for the No Medicaid For Illegal Immigrants Act. He said that the act would ensure Medicaid-related benefits are exclusively available to American citizens. Bost made this comment in a Facebook post on March 30.

"There are six liberal states plus D.C. that provide Medicaid for illegal immigrants," said Bost, U.S. Representative, according to Facebook. "You might not be shocked to learn that Illinois is one of them. I was proud to cosponsor the No Medicaid For Illegal Immigrants Act, which will make sure Medicaid only goes to American citizens. American taxpayers who have paid into the system and rightly qualify for benefits should be the only ones who receive them."

House Resolution 584, also known as the No Medicare for Illegal Immigrants Act of 2025, was introduced on January 21 by Representative Kevin Kiley from California. The bill aims to prohibit state Medicaid programs from providing coverage to individuals illegally residing in the United States, with exceptions for certain emergency services authorized under current federal law. The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Screenshot of U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's March 30 Facebook post | U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's Facebook page

In Illinois, programs such as Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) and Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) offer medical insurance to undocumented immigrants. A February audit highlighted significant discrepancies between cost estimates and actual spending within these programs. According to the audit, enrollment numbers and costs far exceeded initial projections. In fiscal year 2023, the HBIS program enrolled 15,831 individuals aged 65 and older, surpassing the estimated figure of 6,700. Similarly, the HBIA program for adults aged 42-54 enrolled 36,912 people—double the estimated number of 18,800—while another segment of the program for adults aged 55-64 had an enrollment of 17,024 against an estimate of 8,000.

The audit further revealed that as of January, 21,362 individuals were removed from these programs due to eligibility or procedural issues. Additionally, it noted that poor data entry and lack of internal controls resulted in multiple Recipient Identification Numbers being assigned to some enrollees. The audit identified that incorrect birthdates led to mistaken enrollments in HBIS for individuals under age 65; these errors have since been corrected. Furthermore, it found that some individuals who had been in the U.S. for over five years were mistakenly enrolled despite being eligible for Medicaid.

Bost has represented Illinois' 12th District since January 6, 2015. Prior to this role, he served two decades in the Illinois State House of Representatives as House Republican Caucus Chair. A lifelong resident of Murphysboro and former U.S. Marine Corps member (1979-1982), Bost worked at Bost Trucking Service for over two decades before joining the Murphysboro Fire Department in 1993 after completing training at the University of Illinois’ Certified Firefighter II Academy.