Dupage Policy Journal

Former Illinois State Representative Jeanne Ives has challenged Governor J.B. Pritzker's assertions regarding Medicaid cuts, labeling them as a "complete fabrication." Ives called for a rollback of Medicaid expansions in Illinois through a social media post on March 3.

"Prove your allegations. This is complete fabrication," said Ives. "Democrats added single, work-capable individuals to Medicaid in 2013 and your Pritzker added illegals. Time to roll that back."

Ives' comments were made in response to a post by Pritzker on the same day, where he accused Republicans in Washington, D.C., of endorsing legislation that would eliminate Medicaid coverage for 3.4 million residents of Illinois. Pritzker said, "Donald Trump promised he wouldn't cut Medicaid. This week, his friends in DC voted for a bill that would leave 3.4 million Illinoisans, including 1.4 million children, in the dust," describing it as "another middle finger to working families and the most vulnerable in our state."

Former Illinois State Representative Jeanne Ives | Jeanne Ives (Facebook)

According to the Illinois government website, the state expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2013, allowing single adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level to qualify for coverage. This expansion was projected to enroll approximately 342,000 people by 2017.

In recent years, Illinois has further extended Medicaid-like benefits to certain noncitizens, including undocumented immigrants aged 42 and older—a policy supported by Pritzker’s administration. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services reports that the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program was launched in 2020 to provide Medicaid-like benefits to noncitizens aged 65 and older and later expanded to include those aged 42 to 64.

These expansions have faced scrutiny due to their increasing costs. A report by My Journal Courier indicates that the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program cost nearly three times initial projections, reaching $412 million in its first three years. Similarly, the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program incurred costs of $485.3 million over two years, prompting the state to pause enrollment for those under age 65.

Pritzker has defended these programs as essential healthcare provisions for vulnerable populations while acknowledging higher-than-expected enrollment numbers. He said that it is evidence of many individuals needing coverage who are not receiving it or will do anything to obtain it: "It's some evidence, anyway, that there are an awful lot of people out there that need coverage who aren't getting it or who will do anything to get it, and I think that's a sad state of affairs in our society," he said according to My Journal Courier.

Jeanne Ives is an American conservative politician and former Illinois state representative who served from 2013 to 2019, representing the 42nd district in Chicago’s western suburbs, according to her Ballotpedia page. In 2020, she ran for Congress in Illinois' 6th district, narrowly losing to Democrat Sean Casten. A former Army officer and graduate of West Point, Ives continues to advocate for conservative policies, focusing on economic reform and government accountability.