Hochul Slammed as More than 500K Illegal Migrants Receive Medicaid in New York

A new analysis from the Empire Center has revealed that more than half a million illegal migrants in New York State are enrolled in Medicaid, sparking criticism of Governor Kathy Hochul. The think tank’s report underscores how deeply taxpayer dollars are now tied to healthcare benefits for non-citizens at a time when many New Yorkers struggle to afford coverage of their own.

The Empire Center found that 490,000 undocumented immigrants under the age of 65 with household incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level are currently receiving Emergency Medicaid. Another 25,000 undocumented immigrants over the age of 65 are also enrolled, bringing the total cost of new enrollees in the state-funded Medicaid program to an estimated $230 million, according to the state Health Department.

The report further highlights that before the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) was passed, 730,000 immigrants classified as “permanently residing under the color of law” were enrolled in the state’s Essential Plan. This category includes asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and individuals with pending asylum claims. Bill Hammond, who authored the Empire Center’s analysis, explained that 506,000 of these individuals have incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level and will now be shifted onto the state-only Medicaid plan while 224,000 with higher incomes will not qualify.

The Hochul administration has leaned on a 2001 court ruling, Aliessa v. Novello, which requires the state to provide healthcare coverage to immigrants regardless of whether federal funding is available. As Hammond noted, “Under that ruling, the state formerly paid the full cost of Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the so-called Aliessa population.”

Meanwhile, spending on the Essential Plan has exploded. Budget data shows costs rising from $1.5 million in 2016 to more than $12.4 million in 2024. Projections suggest spending will climb to $13.2 million in 2025, an increase of 6.6%. Critics argue the growth is unsustainable and unfair to taxpayers who are paying for it.

Republicans say Hochul’s priorities are upside down.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R–Poughkeepsie) blasted the governor on X, writing: “@KathyHochul is giving FREE Medicaid to illegal immigrants while hardworking New Yorkers struggle to afford healthcare and foot the bill with the highest taxes in the nation. Kathy Hochul and NY Democrats [put] illegals FIRST and New Yorkers LAST.”

Democrats continue to defend the expansions as necessary while Republicans say it’s another example of waste and mismanagement. With New Yorkers facing some of the highest healthcare costs in the country, the revelation that more than 500,000 illegal migrants are enrolled in Medicaid adds fuel to the growing backlash against Hochul’s leadership.

Hochul Slammed as More than 500K Illegal Migrants Receive Medicaid in New York