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If you qualify for either of two Illinois programs designed to give health insurance to low-income immigrant adults, you may need to renew your coverage — or risk losing your benefits with no way to get them back.
Members of the state’s Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults/Seniors programs will need to submit paperwork — for an annual benefits eligibility check that the state refers to as redetermination — to renew their coverage for another year by Monday, July 15, or they may lose their insurance benefits effective August 1.
According to a written statement from Cook County Health, all information that immigrants provide during the redetermination process “is used solely for program operation and is not shared for immigration enforcement purposes.”
The two programs have similar requirements to join, although registration for both is currently paused, as both programs have met their capacity and do not have the space to accept new members. For that reason, any members who do not renew their membership will not be able to reapply for health insurance after the redetermination deadline has passed. According to Cook County Health, almost 35,000 low-income county residents have secured access to health insurance through one of the programs.
Members of the HBIA program must be Illinois residents between the ages of 42-64 who are either lawful permanent residents who hold green cards or undocumented immigrants, including anyone who has been granted temporary protected status by the federal government
An individual HBIA member must make $18,754 or less per year; members in households of two must make $25,268 combined or less per year. According to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the income limit “differs depending on the number of household members” beyond two.
The HBIS program is similar; the main difference from the HBIA program is which age group members fall into. HBIS members must be Illinois residents age 65 or older who have green cards or are undocumented.
The HBIS program has stricter financial requirements. Individual seniors must make $13,590 or less per year to qualify for the program, while couples must make $18,310 or less annually. Seniors on the program must also have assets worth less than $17,500.
According to Cook County Health’s statement, HFS mailed paperwork for the redetermination process in April to all members of both programs.
Members of either program can find their renewal due dates and confirm their mailing addresses online at abe.illinois.gov or by calling 800-843-6154. If you need in-person support to fill out redetermination paperwork, you can find an upcoming event online at countycare.com/redetermination.
For more information about either program, visit the HFS website, hfs.illinois.gov.
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