Bill would prevent Wisconsin government from spending on undocumented health care

A bill that would block all levels of Wisconsin government from funding health care from undocumented immigrants was heard in committee for the first time.

The bill is aimed at preventing the state from adding undocumented immigrants to BadgerCare like occurred in recent years in Minnesota and Illinois, according to Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Markesan.

Dallman said the recent budget put in “large amounts” for charitable and free clinics.

“We continue to try to bolster those services for those who need it the most across especially our rural communities, those who do not have access like we hope they would,” Dallman said.

But Assembly Bill 308 goes further than those programs, as evidenced by fiscal notes from state departments including the Department of Corrections, who believes it could be unconstitutional to deny state-paid care to inmates who are undocumented.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said that it does not have an estimate of how many undocumented students who visit school nurses.

Dallman was asked about by Rep. Karen Kirsch, D-Greenville, what school nurses would do or if they would be required to check the immigration status of students but Dallman responded that DPI said “they were unable to provide any effect that it would have on their programs.”

Dallman said that when Minnesota expanded its Medicaid program called MinnesotaCare, it expected to have about 5,000 undocumented immigrants enroll but instead saw more than 20,000 new undocumented enrollees with 24% under the age of 18.

That allowance was later rescinded after it was estimated to cost the state $600 million over four years. Dallman said that an Illinois audit showed the state spent $900 million on Medicaid for undocumented immigrants.

“These are enormous price tags for those who are here unlawfully,” Dallman said. “This cannot and should not be the case here in Wisconsin. With a state budget that is currently already very lean, we must prioritize our citizens over those who are here unlawfully.”