Health Benefits for 42-64 Years Old Immigrants

Wednesday, June 29, 2022: According to Get Care Illinois and Healthy Illinois, a program started in March 2022, to assist immigrant adults, ages 55-64, living in Illinois to be eligible to receive Medicaid-like healthcare. The program is called, Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA). The program will provide affordable, comprehensive health coverage to low-income adults who are undocumented. Starting Friday, July 1, 2022, the HBIA program will expand to include immigrant adults, ages 42-54.

Eligibility:  In order to qualify for the HBIA program, the person must meet the requirements below: 

[1] Be between the ages 55-64 at the time of application (and includes a retroactive coverage period of time to February 1, 2022); starting July 1, 2022 the age eligibility is lowered to 42 (with retroactive coverage until April 1, 2022 for those 42-54 years old);

[2] Not eligible for Medicare or traditional Medicaid because of immigration status. For instance, immigrants eligible for the new program include: 

• Individuals who are undocumented (including individuals who have temporary protected status (TPS) and  Legal permanent residents ((LPR) otherwise known as a green card holders) who have had their green card for less than five years. 

NOTE: A social security number is not required in order to enroll in this program. Applicants must indicate that they are a citizen or a non-citizen in the application. They should not leave it blank because they may be denied if they have not indicated that they are a non-citizen.

[3] Live in Illinois; ABE will attempt to verify Illinois residency through electronic matches or by documents already provided before requesting the applicant or client to provide proof (such as ownership of a house, a rental lease, utility bills, document issued by the Mexican consular or other foreign consulate showing an Illinois address, etc.). Full list: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=13236  

[4] Using MAGI Budgeting rules, have a household income that is at or below 138% FPL (see below chart). 

The HBIA program follows the same income budgeting guidance as is used for the “Medicaid Expansion” ACA Adult population. Program income eligibility uses MAGI budgeting (based tax filing status) so that means that a Household includes:

• Tax Payer
• All Claimed Dependents 
• Spouse if they Live with the Taxpayer

Cost to Enrollee:  There are $0 premiums and $0 co-payments

Benefits and Services: The program will cover the same services as Family Care and ACA, except for the services below:

• long term care;
• funeral and burial expenses (also not covered under ACA); and
• home and community based waiver services.

Resources on HBIA Program:

Call Heartland Health Services Community Outreach and Enrollment team at 309-680-7632

Get Care Illinois page in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Polish: https://getcareillinois.org/need-health-coverage/health-benefits-for-immigrants-ages-55-64/

General Features that Apply to the HBIA Program

Eligibility for Emergency Medical for Non-Citizens (Also known as Emergency Medicaid): Individuals age 42 through 64 and individuals who are 65 or over with emergency medical needs must be evaluated for Emergency Medical for Noncitizens.
Retroactive Coverage for Individuals Who Have Medical Bills Dated Within Three-Months of Enrollment Date:  Individuals enrolled in both HBIA and HBIS programs may receive backdated eligibility for up to three months before the month of application, if eligible in each month. As stated above, retroactive coverage for the HBIA program extends to February 1, 2022 for 55-64 year olds and no earlier than April 1, 2022 for 42-54 year olds.
Redeterminations:  Redeterminations will occur annually but as with other medical programs; redeterminations will not be completed during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).
 

Public Charge:   

Enrollment in the HBIA Program is not assessed negatively and will not harm individuals who would be assessed under public charge. This is because the current public charge test only assesses use of long-term care institutionalization paid for by the government. Currently, the HBIA Program excludes long-term care institutionalization from its list of covered benefits. However, the Biden administration is seeking to change the public charge test. And, Illinois health advocates are seeking to add long term care institutionalization to the list of covered benefits in HBIA and HBIS. Stay tuned for any changes. 

Need more information?

For Community Members:  Immigrant Family Resource Program (IFRP) and IFRP HOTLINE 1-855-437-7669: IFRPs work with immigrant families on public benefit applications. ICIRR’s Family Support Hotline in English/Spanish/Korean/Polish: 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY (1-855-435-7693). GetCareIllinois.org: community-facing website in 5 languages to “help you get healthcare coverage if you need it. If you already have healthcare coverage, this site will help you understand how to use your coverage to go to the doctor.”