Health committee refers bill to restrict MinnesotaCare eligibility for residents without lawful status

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The House Health Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 17 voted along party lines to refer House File 10, a measure that would remove MinnesotaCare eligibility for people who are not lawfully present in the United States, to the Committee on State Government Finance and Policy.

Rep. Isaac Schultz, the bill's sponsor, told the committee Minnesota is confronting a projected $5 billion budget shortfall and said the measure targets program eligibility to reduce spending. "We simply do not have time to waste in addressing and tackling this challenge," Schultz said, arguing that tightening eligibility for MinnesotaCare could cut "a projected $100,000,000 plus in spending in the next biennium." He also said the change would prevent what he described as attracting people without lawful status to the program.

Supporters of the bill and witnesses for the author emphasized fiscal concerns and fraud risks. Michael (Matt) Deaton of the Center for the American Experiment warned committee members that…