A new bill from Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) could give Mainers a better sense of how much of their tax money is spent on healthcare for illegal immigrants by collecting data on medical expenditures for asylum seekers.
[RELATED: Trump Admin Orders End to Cash Welfare Benefits for Illegal Immigrants…]
“So the question is, how are we covering them [asylum seekers]? One would assume it’s under MaineCare. So is this one of the reasons that MaineCare has exploded, and we can no longer afford it as a state,” said Rep. Drinkwater speaking with The Maine Wire.
The bill, LD 429, had co-sponsorships from nine Republican co-sponsors, including Sen. Susan Bernard (R-Aroostook).
Drinkwater’s proposal would require hospitals to question patients’ on their immigration status. The hospital will be required to inform the patients that they are not required to answer the question, and that neither immigration status nor refusal to answer the question will impact their ability to receive medical care.
Hospitals must then submit annual reports to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) showing how much money has been spent on medical care for asylum seekers and other undocumented immigrants.
The DHHS will then present the report to the Governor and the Legislative Committee on Health and Human Services, detailing those costs. That report will then be used by the Governor to request reimbursement from the federal government for the aggregate cost of Medicaid and MaineCare for asylum seekers.
It remains unclear if the DHHS would be able to present an accurate report, since asylum seekers could simply refuse to answer questions about their immigration status with no repercussions.
In many cases, asylum seekers are in the country illegally but have made an asylum claim and are allowed to avoid deportation, often for years, while they await the results of their claim. Many asylum seekers only make “defensive” asylum claims, where, rather than approaching U.S. authorities to request asylum, they only make their claim reactively if they are apprehended by immigration authorities.
One 2023 report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform claimed that Maine had roughly 16,000 illegal immigrants and their children living in the state, costing $42,496,390.
Those numbers may have grown as illegal immigrants continued to enter the state since the report’s publication.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="37334 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=37334">18 Comments
There should not be any taxpayer money spent on ILLEGALS.
they shut off my mainecare help but let illegals still collect. something fishy here.
Biggest scam in the state! Maine people on the bottom! Immigrants first! Democrats dream come true, illegal gets a headache and calls an ambulance for a ride to the hospital, everything paid for by us poor folks, C’mon man!
First of all, anything our tax money is spent on should be able to be scrutinized by us, the taxpayers.
Secondly, we have looked into moving my elderly mom here from another state but were told that the chances of her even being able to get Maine Care were slim to nil. Now it’s clear why.
We need our own DOGE team here otherwise we’ll go broke. It’s clear we’re headed that way quickly already.
Patients are not required to answer the immigration status question? Then what’s the point? How about requiring positive ID for a start. I was forced to get “real ID” so I don’t think its too much to ask to know whos eating up tax dollars.
Democrats will NEVER support or allow this to happen . Democrats are destroying our state.
The Dems are going to shoot this one down and even if it does pass General Mills will veto it.
Can’t upset her new voters.
It is fantastic that Republicans are trying to do something and bringing the issue into the light.
You say you want a revolution, well you know………call Homan, Bondi, Patel, Bongino and the patriots. GET TO THE ROOT OF THE CRIME & BANKRUPT WELFARE PROBLEM IN THE ENTIRE NEW ENGLAND REGION. This is absolutely unsustainable and ridiculously stupid. American citizens must show correct ID to receive any services from Health care facilities and JANET’S CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS DO NOT?
This is way to much of a “ Common Sense “ proposal for any democrat to support .
WHEN ARE MAINE VOTERS GOING TO WAKE T.F. UP and get these people out of office .?
Democrats are all about feel good , virtue signaling , stick together no matter how crazy the deal .
Their reckless spending behavior is going to run us over the fiscal cliff .
Washington ISNT going to be bailing us out folks after all the hate that Mills and Company have displayed toward the Trump . WE ARE ON OUR OWN …..With homosexual rainbow pine tree flag activists at the helm . Voters are our ONLY hope .
We give money to illegals, to have our people sleep on the streets.
lame duck approach….how about a bill banning benefits for non- citizens!!
I go to the emergency room. Name? Tim Gonzales. ID? None. Where do you live? Homeless.
Never see a bill.
The Maine GOP is a joke!!! They need to get out there and get on the air waves and social media. Also they need to put up better candidates for the Legislature like Reagan Paul and Laurel Libby. The other thing they need to do is starting lawsuits against all the DemocRATS and stop sitting on their hands. Use the same tactics as the DemocRATS.
I can’t wait until ICE comes to Maine!
We have 2 international airports to deport them from!
Maine Medical Center is FULL of illegal free loaders!!!!!!
Good
And our Sue still does not know how to vote!
I’m guessing most of the people complaining about this voted for Mills