(Texas Scorecard) – U.S. Health and Human Services has announced a policy action to restore compliance with federal law by prohibiting illegal aliens from accessing certain healthcare programs—a move that could save Texas and other states millions of dollars.
Originally passed by Congress in 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) rebuilt various aspects of the welfare system and gave definitions to key terms.
According to an HHS announcement on Thursday, the new policy changes the interpretation of key terms within the 1996 welfare law, including “federal public benefit,” which allowed illegal aliens to receive certain taxpayer-funded healthcare services since 1998.
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said. “Today’s action changes that—it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”
Several programs have been added to the definition of “federal public benefit” under the new rule, including programs controlled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, health workforce grant programs, and most notably, Head Start programs for children.
Investigations done by HHS show that U.S. citizens could receive as much as an additional $375 million in Head Start assistance annually.
“Head Start’s classification under the new PRWORA interpretation puts American families first by ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are reserved for eligible individuals,” wrote Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison.
The new policy will take effect immediately and has a 30-day comment period before further guidance will be issued by HHS to assist affected programs in reaching full compliance.
Texas has taken similar actions to disincentivize illegal immigration, recently agreeing to end discounted college tuition for illegal aliens.
In August 2024, Gov. Greg Abbott also signed an executive order requiring Texas hospitals to collect and report healthcare costs for illegal aliens every quarter.
In April, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission reported that $121 million was incurred in a single month for healthcare costs for individuals who are not lawfully in the United States.