EXCLUSIVE: Medicaid directs states to crack down on illegal immigrant enrollees with monthly checks

Under the new initiative, CMS will issue monthly enrollment reports to states that identify any Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be confirmed through federal databases. These databases will include the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, among others.    

The first of those monthly reports was sent out Tuesday, CMS indicated in an announcement about the new initiative. Every single state will receive an individual report over the course of a month. Meanwhile, states will be expected to report back to CMS on the results of their verification reviews.

"Every dollar misspent is a dollar taken away from an eligible, vulnerable individual in need of Medicaid and CHIP," added CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. "This action underscores our unwavering commitment to program integrity, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and ensuring benefits are strictly reserved for those eligible under the law."

Since President Donald Trump began his second term, the GOP president has taken several steps to ensure non-citizens are not accessing public benefits that are supposed to be reserved for American citizens. 

One of the first steps the second Trump administration took was an executive order issued by the president in February. The order directed federal agencies to identify programs currently allowing illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits and take necessary action to ensure non-residents are not obtaining taxpayer-funded benefits in violation of a law passed in 1996 called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.

Several weeks later, the Department of Health and Human Services indicated it was widening the list of federal government-operated programs deemed to be public benefits. The move increased the number of programs from 31 to 44. 

Meanwhile, provisions in the highly contentious Republican spending package passed last month added new statutory obligations requiring states to more frequently check the eligibility of Medicaid enrollees at least twice per year. 

A coalition of more than 20 Democratic attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, are suing the Trump administration over its new policies that require verification of immigrant status for participation in federally-funded programs.

"For decades, states like New York have built health, education, and family support systems that serve anyone in need," James said last month. "These programs work because they are open, accessible, and grounded in compassion. Now, the federal government is pulling that foundation out from under us overnight, jeopardizing cancer screenings, early childhood education, primary care, and so much more. This is a baseless attack on some of our country's most effective and inclusive public programs, and we will not let it stand."