The Trump administration announced that it is launching probes into Medicaid spending on illegal aliens in at least six Democrat run states in an attempt to expel waste, fraud, and abuse in the public healthcare system.
According to a preliminary audit conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), California, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon spent a total of $1,351,204,127 on healthcare for illegal aliens utilizing Medicaid funds, mostly during 2024 and 2025.
Utilizing federal Medicaid funds to provide healthcare coverage to illegal aliens is illegal under federal law; however, Medicaid funds can be used to cover emergency medical services for anyone, regardless of their immigration status.
The Trump administration is arguing that the Democrat states in question are providing comprehensive healthcare to illegal immigrants utilizing federal Medicaid funds, prompting the probe.
“Medicaid is by far the largest source of federal funding for states. It was originally intended to only provide aid for eligible beneficiaries, but, over time, states have figured out how to game the system, padding permitted expenses and diverting the profits to fund activities that are supposedly prohibited,” stated Manhattan Institute public health policy expert Chris Pope.
“Any claim that state healthcare expenditures don’t ultimately involve some form of federal funds should be regarded with suspicion,” he added.
Meanwhile, Democrat leaders from the list of states suspected of breaking federal law have argued that the probe is “based on an incorrect preliminary finding,” while arguing that their policies are in accordance with federal law.
“Our payments for coverage of undocumented individuals are in accordance with state and federal laws,” stated Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing spokesman Marc Williams. “The $1.5 million number referenced by federal leaders today is based on an incorrect preliminary finding, and has been refuted with supporting data by our Department experts.”
“It is disappointing that the administration is announcing this number as final when it is clearly overstated and the conversations are very much in the education and discussion phase,” he added.
According to the preliminary audit conducted by CMS, California spent over $1 billion in federal Medicaid funds on illegal immigrants, followed by Illinois, which reportedly spent nearly $30 million. Oregon spent the third most, according to the audit, totaling over $5 million.
Hellbound and Down 