Title: Partly false claim: Seniors must pay for Medicare and supplemental insurance while ‘illegals get it all for free’ | Reuters
Headings: Partly false claim: Seniors must pay for Medicare and supplemental insurance while ‘illegals get it all for free’
Partly false claim: Seniors must pay for Medicare and supplemental insurance while ‘illegals get it all for free’
VERDICT

Content: Seniors on Social Security must pay for Medicare and supplemental insurance, but undocumented immigrants do not get the same health insurance coverage, or health care, for free. The U.S. federal health insurance program for senior citizens is made up of different parts. Medicare Part A (hospital Insurance) can sometimes be free, but only for some seniors. Medicare Part B (medical insurance) has a monthly premium. The Medicare Advantage Plan (formerly known as Part C) and Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) also have monthly premiums. These plans are both run by private insurance companies. Seniors who want Medicare Supplement Insurance, also known as Medigap, must pay for it. These policies sold by private companies are meant to help pay some of the gaps that may arise between coverage and healthcare costs like copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. One of the basic requirements for being an eligible beneficiary of Medicare is to be a U.S. citizen or to be lawfully present in the United States (see page 3 of here ). According to Section 5561 of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are prohibited to pay for Medicare services rendered to “an alien who is not lawfully present in the U.S.”
Undocumented immigrants also cannot access the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace health coverage ( here ).