Hudson Introduces Protect Medicaid Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced legislation to help ensure the long-term integrity of Medicaid and prevent federal taxpayer dollars from being used to administer or provide Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants:

Rep. Hudson has introduced the Protect Medicaid Act (H.R. 2856), the House companion to Senator Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) bill of the same name. Despite the fact that current law prohibits federal funds from being used to provide Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants, states like California are looking to take advantage of existing loopholes to expand these benefits using federal funds.

Medicaid’s statute already prohibits the use of federal funds to furnish Medicaid care to illegal immigrants, but states would get around this by using federal funds to administer and implement benefit status for illegal immigrants while using state funds to pay for the benefits. Rep. Hudson’s legislation would close this loophole and prevent states from using federal funds to provide Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants. The legislation is supported by Heritage Action and NumbersUSA.