In a word: “No!” They’re not eligible.
The US Government shutdown has produced a lot of misinformation about healthcare for illegal immigrants. That seems to be taking on the role of the central issue of debate.
First, the very term used usually indicates which side you are on. Republicans will say ‘illegal aliens’, while Democrats will say ‘undocumented immigrants.’ If I use the term ‘illegal’, rest assured that I am not taking sides; it’s just easier to type.
So what are the facts? If you are in the US legally, such as a Green Card holder, you can pay into social security and receive ‘free’ benefits of Medicare, Medicaid, etc. If you are an illegal, you cannot, so you are ineligible to receive ‘free’ treatment. Therefore, any discussion about healthcare must include whether you mean legal or illegal.
A recent poll on Yahoo! conflates illegals with legals, simply asking whether ‘non-citizens’ should receive healthcare benefits. It is impossible to answer such a question fairly, if you don’t know whether they are talking about legals or illegals. Many of the answers to the poll show precisely that confusion, and show that many people think of ‘non-citizens’ as illegals. Yahoo should be harshly called out for asking such deceptive, biased questions.
The second confusion lies in the fact that ANYONE (legal or illegal) with an emergency condition must be accepted by hospitals. If a person arrives at the hospital in a coma and a pool of blood, the hospital must admit them, no questions asked about legal status. In this sense, an illegal could receive free treatment. But that rule is not at issue in the shutdown argument. It’s not in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’, and will continue to be the case, whatever the outcome of the shutdown. It’s a red herring.
Therefore, Trump’s ad nauseum repetition of the slogan that Dems want illegals to receive free healthcare is bogus on two counts: the fact that illegals are ineligible for Medicare, etc. and cannot just blithely go in for free treatment, as well as the fact that the rule of emergency treatment is sacrosanct precludes its inclusion in shutdown discussions.
Johnson, JD, and Trump himself all seem to think that by repeating the ‘free healthcare for illegals’ mantra, people will believe it and will heap scorn on Democrats.
I think this misleading strategy may backfire. It is to the Dems’ advantage to make healthcare the central issue. If people see the facts, they will realize that the Repubs are trying to cut (Johnson insists on the word ‘reform’) THEIR healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid. Trying to spin the argument to being about illegals will show that the shutdown has absolutely nothing to do with illegals. It is all about cutting Medicare, Obamacare, and Medicaid (MOM) for EVERYONE, including white, Christian, middle-class American-born citizens. People of both parties will not like that.