HHS Secretary Declines to Justify Why Taxpaying Citizens Should Fund Healthcare for Undocumented Immigrants
Image Credit: Screenshot / Senate Finance Committee
At a recent hearing, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, faced tough questions. He was asked to account for why everyday Americans are bearing the cost of healthcare for individuals residing in the country illegally—questions posed by Wyoming Senator John Barrasso.
Senator Barrasso highlighted the plight of urban centers swamped by the pressures of undocumented immigrants tapping into already stretched health funds and services. He cited the example of Denver Health, which in 2023, treated over 20,000 patients without legal status, as reported by Becker’s Hospital Review.
Becerra was confronted with a direct enquiry: ”
Can you please explain why it is the responsibility of hard-working American taxpayers to foot the bill for all of this care for people, nine million now, from all across the world who have flooded their way into the United States?
“
Attempting to respond, Becerra pointed to HHS’s mission to support healthcare facilities within its purview. Despite this, he admitted a lack of detailed insight into specific state healthcare operations.
Barrasso underscored the disparity: “The federal government doesn’t pay for the health care of every legal U.S. citizen,” challenging the apparent indulgence towards undocumented individuals. He questioned why Americans were effectively underwriting healthcare costs for those here illegally.
Becerra reiterated his department’s commitment to Medicare and Medicaid, sidestepping the issue of undocumented immigrants’ healthcare costs being passed on to paying citizens, a critical concern raised by Barrasso.
This issue isn’t confined to Denver. Cook County Health in Chicago is another institution inundated with unpaid patient visits from illegal immigrants. Since 2022, there have been roughly 81,000 such visits, stretching the hospital’s capacity and resources.
Amid this escalating situation, healthcare administrators like Cook County’s Chief Medical Officer Claudia Fegan acknowledge the stress this influx of patients places on their systems.
Brianna Lyman, reporting on the intersection of healthcare and immigration as an elections correspondent at The Federalist.
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