As america headed towards a authorities shutdown, Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of forcing this shutdown as a result of they need immigrants who’re within the nation illegally to have entry to well being care.
“Democrats are threatening to close down the whole authorities as a result of they need to give a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} in well being care advantages to unlawful immigrants,” stated Vice President JD Vance. September 28 en “Fox Information Sunday”.
The president Donald TrumpHome Speaker Mike Johnson, and Republican members of Congress have repeated this time and time once more.
It’s a incorrect assertion.
Democrats have refused to vote in favor of the Republican decision to increase the deadline for federal spending, and their stance is predicated, partly, on well being care spending.
Democrats need to prolong Covid-era Inexpensive Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which expire on the finish of the yr, and reverse cuts to Medicaid included within the tax and spending invoice Trump signed into regulation this summer season.
The Democrats’ proposal wouldn’t provide medical care to immigrants with out authorized standing; that inhabitants is already largely ineligible for federally funded well being care. As an alternative, the proposal would restore entry to sure well being care packages for immigrants with papers who will lose entry below the Republican regulation.
The White Home didn’t reply to PolitiFact’s request for remark for this truth examine. Vance responded to criticism about his argument in one other interview, claiming it was included in Democrats’ spending proposal. It is not there.
A White Home account in X He continued the problem by posting screenshots of the Democratic proposal that repeals a bit of the Republican regulation referred to as “Medicaid eligibility of aliens.” You will need to know that these adjustments wouldn’t give entry to Medicaid to immigrants with out authorized standing.
Vance defended his assertion once more in a press convention on the White Home on October 1, stating that former President Joe Biden “eradicated unlawful immigration standing,” making it simpler for migrants to entry federal help.
You will need to remember that many people who find themselves grants authorized standing via compassionate parole packages or Non permanent Protected Standing (TPS) don’t mechanically qualify for Medicaid; TPS beneficiaries should not eligibleand many individuals who entered the nation with humanitarian permission should wait 5 years earlier than accessing this system.
The Trump administration has canceled parole and TPS for many individuals, making them ineligible for Medicaid and ACA market well being plans.
We discovered no proof that Democrats need to spend a whole bunch of billions on prices for undocumented immigrants to have medical insurance.
Immigrants with out authorized standing are now not eligible
Most federal well being care funds can’t be spent on people who find themselves within the nation illegally. They can’t enroll in Medicaid or Medicare, and should not eligible to buy well being protection via the insurance coverage marketplaces established by the ACA.
A small Medicaid program reimburses hospitals for emergency medical look after uninsured folks, which may embody, however isn’t unique to, immigrants who’re within the nation illegally.
States like Illinois and California expanded Medicaid protection for folks no matter their immigration standing, and states pay for this protection. Federal regulation already prohibited states from utilizing federal funds for these packages. A earlier model The Republican spending invoice would have penalized these states by withholding funds, however that provision didn’t final.
People who find themselves within the nation illegally might obtain federally funded medical care in emergency circumstances; In these conditions, hospitals should present care even when the individual doesn’t have medical insurance or papers. Emergency Medicaid covers hospital look after immigrants who could be eligible for Medicaid however for his or her immigration standing. The Republican Tax and Spending Act diminished the quantity that hospitals can obtain for offering this care.
Most Emergency Medicaid spending goes to births. In complete, it represented lower than 1% of spending complete Medicaid in fiscal yr 2023, in accordance with KFF, a nonprofit well being info group that features KFF Well being Information.
Republican Legislation Limits Entry to Well being Look after Immigrants with Authorized Standing
The Republican tax and spending invoice made a number of adjustments to well being care eligibility for immigrants residing within the nation with papers. It’s estimated that 1.4 million authorized immigrants will lose their medical insurance, in accordance with a KFF evaluation of the corporate’s projections. Congressional Funds Workplace.
Starting in October 2026, the regulation will prohibit eligibility for Medicaid and the Youngsters’s Well being Insurance coverage Program (CHIP) to authorized everlasting residents, to individuals from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, or Palau who legally reside within the nation below a global settlementalready sure Cubans and Haitians.
Beforehand, a big group, outlined as “certified non-citizens”was eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, together with refugees and individuals who had been granted asylum.
Some immigrants eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, corresponding to authorized everlasting residents, They need to wait 5 years earlier than accessing advantages.
The regulation additionally restricted eligibility for insurance coverage on the ACA marketplaces to the identical group eligible for Medicaid and CHIP starting January 1, 2027. Beforehand, folks described as “legally current” have been eligible. This group included “certified noncitizens” eligible for Medicaid and folks with short-term standing, corresponding to TPS or worldwide college students.
Beneficiaries of the Deferred Motion for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, for immigrants who got here to the nation as youngsters, with out authorization, beforehand met the necessities for ACA protection and its subsidies. However they’re now not eligible since a Trump administration rule It got here into impact in August.
Democratic proposal would restore entry for authorized immigrants
The funds proposal Democrats’ invoice, launched on September 17, would, partly, completely prolong ACA subsidies, and reverse billions of {dollars} in Republican cuts to Medicaid and different well being packages.
The change would make Medicaid, CHIP and ACA protection out there to all beforehand eligible authorized immigrants, corresponding to refugees and folks granted asylum.
The Democratic proposal wouldn’t broaden eligibility to federally funded well being care packages for immigrants with out authorized standing.
Vance stated Democratic insurance policies would offer a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} in well being care advantages to undocumented immigrants, and the White Home didn’t disclose the supply of that determine. When Johnson was pressured to assist the same argument, he cited the Congressional Funds Workplace (CBO).
The KFF evaluation of the CBO estimates discovered that provisions of the Republican regulation associated to authorized immigrants would scale back federal spending by $131 billion; This projection didn’t embody an estimate for folks with out authorized standing.
Our resolution
Vance said: “Democrats are threatening to close down the whole authorities as a result of they need to give a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} in well being care advantages to undocumented immigrants.”
Immigrants who’re in america with out authorized authorization are largely ineligible for the federally funded well being care packages, Medicare and Medicaid, and can’t search protection within the ACA market or apply for subsidies.
The Democrats’ funds proposal wouldn’t change this.
Democrats need to restore entry to sure well being care packages for authorized immigrants who will lose entry below the Republican tax and spending regulation, amongst different measures geared toward making it simpler to protect Medicaid and ACA insurance policy.
His proposal wouldn’t present federally funded well being care advantages to people who find themselves within the nation with out authorized authorization, as a result of they didn’t have entry to them within the first place.
The small quantity of funding designated for Emergency Medicaid reimburses hospitals that present emergency care to immigrants who could be eligible for Medicaid however for his or her immigration standing. Lastly, we discovered no proof to assist Vance’s declare that Democrats need “a whole bunch of billions” in well being advantages for migrants residing within the nation illegally.
We fee this assertion as false.
Our sources
Fox Information, “JD Vance Slams ‘Preposterous’ Claims on Comey Indictment: ‘Lied Beneath Oath’Sept. 28, 2025.
The White Home, “President Trump Delivers an Announcement,” Sept. 30, 2025.
President Donald Trump, Reality Social publishSept. 29, 2025.
U.S. Home of Representatives invoiceaccessed Oct. 1, 2025.
Congressional Funds Workplace, “Distributional Results of Public Legislation 119-21,” Aug. 11, 2025.
PolitiFact, “Newsom Championed Medicaid for Immigrants in California Illegally. Now He Needs To Minimize It Again,” Might 16, 2025.
KFF, ”Well being Provisions within the 2025 Federal Funds Reconciliation Invoice,” July 8, 2025.
KFF, ”Potential Impacts of 2025 Funds Reconciliation on Well being Protection for Immigrant Households,” June 17, 2025.
KFF, ”Key Details on Well being Protection of Immigrants,” Jan. 15, 2025.
KFF, ”1.4 Million Lawfully Current Immigrants Are Anticipated To Lose Well being Protection Because of the 2025 Tax and Funds Legislation,” Sept. 25, 2025.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers, “Info for SAVE Customers: Cuban-Haitian Entrants,” accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers, “Standing of Residents of the Freely Related States of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands Truth Sheet,” accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
Healthcare.gov, “Protection for Lawfully Current Immigrants,” accessed Oct. 1, 2025.
Federal Register, “Affected person Safety and Inexpensive Care Act; Market Integrity and Affordability,” June 25, 2025.
