Excluding Illegal Aliens from Medicaid Act

Key Points

• This bill, introduced by Paul, would move up the start date for certain Medicaid eligibility restrictions to July 4, 2025. This change makes it harder for non-citizens to qualify for government-funded healthcare sooner than current law allows.
• The bill creates a financial penalty for states that use their own money to provide health insurance or comprehensive medical benefits to undocumented immigrants. If a state chooses to provide these benefits, the federal government will reduce the amount of money it contributes to that state's Medicaid program.
• Specifically, the federal government would stop paying the higher 'expansion' matching rate for Medicaid and instead pay the much lower standard rate to these states. This could cost states that provide migrant healthcare millions of dollars in federal support, forcing them to either cut those programs or find new ways to pay for them.
• The bill includes exceptions for emergency medical care required by federal law. It also does not penalize states for providing benefits to children or pregnant women who are lawfully residing in the United States.