La búsqueda de Trump de inscritos indocumentados en Medicaid arroja muy pocos infractores

Last August, as part of the federal government’s offensive against undocumented people in the country, the Trump administration sent states the numbers of Miles scientists enrolled in Medicaid, with orders to determine whether they were ineligible for their immigration status.

But, a few months later, results from the five states compared with KFF Health News show reviews found evidence that this problem is widespread.

Only citizens of the United States and certain immigrants with legal presence can access Medicaid, which incurs medical assistance costs for people with few investments and disabilities, as well as the Children’s Health Security Program (CHIP, for your name in English). Ambos programs sa administrados por los estados.

Voices from Medicaid agencies in Pennsylvania and Colorado said that, until March, the states had not met a person who needed to qualify for Medicaid. This after reviewing a combined total of 79,000 numbers.

At the request of the Trump administration, Texas reviewed the records of more than 28,000 Medicaid enrollees and canceled coverage for 77, according to Jennifer Ruffcorn, an appointee of the Texas Department of Human Services.

Ohio has revised 65,000 Medicaid enrollees, with the bottom 260 people in the program, said Stephanie O’Grady, who is with that state’s Medicaid Department.

In Utah, 42 of the 8,000 enrollees identified by the Trump administration lost their Medicaid coverage, said Becky Wickstrom of the state Department of Workforce Services.

In announcing the revisions, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said, “We are strengthening enrollment oversight to protect contributors’ dollars and ensuring that these vital programs are only those that are truly comprehensive with the law’s requirements.”

Leonardo Cuello, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, said the revisions ordered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are necessary for states to verify migration status when people are enrolled.

“It’s entirely predictable that all of these revisions will put a burden on the federal government’s states, to no avail,” Cuello said. “States have already made their reviews once, and CMS is only obligated to verify new information. Because states have gone through the same bureaucratic process of the last two years, it is incredibly inefficient and a waste of money.”

Chris Krepich, vice president of CMS, said in a statement to KFF Health News that ongoing audits confirm the eligibility of “enrollees whose status cannot be confirmed amid federal data sources.”

“CMS provides states with periodic information for follow-up reviews, and states are responsible for verifying fitness regardless of eligibility and taking appropriate actions to meet federal requirements,” he added.

Without embargo, comments shared with KFF Health News also suggested that many of the registrants, because the Trump administration cannot confirm, are citizens of the United States.

O’Grady said Ohio found that of the 65,000 people sent by the federal government, the state had information on 53,000 confirming they were citizens and another 11,000 with suitable immigration status for Medicaid.

Now, case workers are reviewing the remaining 1,000 numbers to evaluate your information or solicit more details, they said.

CMS did not respond to questions about audits from the states analyzed by KFF Health News or provide information on responses received from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, for those ordered to complete the checks.

The agency also responded to a question about whether it sends the names of people covered by Medicaid who are canceled by federal immigration authorities.

In June, Kennedy advisers ordered CMS to share information on Medicaid enrollees with the Department of National Security (DHS), prompting a request from some states concerned that the administration was using the information for its deportation campaign against people living in the United States without authorization.

A federal court ruled in December that Immigration and Child Enforcement (ICE) workers can access information about people in the country on their own without authorization on the Medicaid databases of requesting states.

CMS continues to send lists of names to states at least monthly, with some officials seeing as the numbers have been reduced from the first mailing period.

Individuals without legal status cannot access financial health coverage with federal funds, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) market plans. Medicaid benefits hospitals by providing emergency attention to undocumented individuals if they meet admission requirements and other program criteria.

States and the District of Columbia provide health coverage regardless of immigration status, funding the programs with their own resources.

In March 2025, CMS initiated a financial review of these programs. “CMS has identified more than $1,800 million in federal funds that are being clawed back amid voluntary transfers and places for future federal Medicaid payments,” Krepich said. No response as it was picked up today nor in this condition.

The total amount of Medicaid exceeded $900,000 million in fiscal year 2024.