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: 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 ). Medicaid, which covers one in five Americans, is a government sponsored program that is intended to provide public health insurance to people with low income and limited resources, including those on Medicare ( here ). The eligibility criteria vary in each state ( here ). It is possible for undocumented immigrants to get free access to medical emergency treatment. Medicare-participating hospitals must provide stabilization and screening services to any patient with an emergency medical condition, regardless of ability to pay ( here ). Some locally funded programs also provide healthcare coverage to undocumented immigrants.