Provider Notice Issued 04/01/2025

The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is releasing this notice to inform providers serving customers currently enrolled in the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA, ages 42-64) program that the last date of medical coverage through this program will be June 30, 2025. This program will be ending effective July 1, 2025. HBIA customers will be sent a 90-day notice via mail regarding the end of coverage on April 1, 2025.

The Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS - ages 65+) program will continue, and customer benefits will not change.

Some HBIA customers receive their services through the fee-for-service (FFS) program, but the majority of HBIA customers are covered under the HealthChoice Illinois managed care program.

Providers should continue to provide care for HBIA customers through the program’s end on June 30, 2025. Below are additional resources to which providers may refer HBIA customers for continued medical care on or after July 1, 2025.

·         HBIA customers may have access to primary and preventative care at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and free and charitable clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured people regardless of their immigration status and ability to pay. More information and clinic locations are available online at https://www.illinoisfreeclinics.org/ and https://www.iphca.org/health-center-locator/.

·         Individuals who lose coverage will continue to be eligible for emergency services when needed through the Emergency Medical Coverage for Non-Citizens process. Information on the process or accessing Emergency Medical Coverage for Non-Citizens can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document posted on the HFS HBIA webpage.

·         Individuals who now have documented noncitizen status may be eligible for coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace at getcovered.illinois.gov.

·         Undocumented noncitizens may purchase private insurance directly from insurance companies.

Eligibility criteria for other HFS Medical Assistance Programs that provide coverage regardless of citizenship or immigration status (e.g., children coverage for pregnant and postpartum people, emergency medical coverage for end-stage renal disease) has not changed.

Checking Eligibility in MEDI        

Currently in the MEDI system, eligibility for the HBIA program is displayed as follows:

Case Type:  IMMIGRANT ADULTS, FULL COVERAGE

Providers must continue to check the MEDI system for customer eligibility and coverage verification for each service date. Providers are still responsible for collecting copayments from HBIA customers until the program ends on June 30, 2025. After July 1, 2025, providers should continue to check eligibility, as former HBIA customers may have become eligible for another type of coverage and moved to another medical program.

Note: New customer enrollment in the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS, ages 65+) program remains paused, pursuant to Public Notice October 20, 2023. There are no changes to the HBIS program at this time.

​Providers are encouraged to direct HBIA customers to the Immigrant Family Resource Program at 312-793-7120 or visit the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Support Services for Recently Arrived Migrants webpage to find a list of community service agencies serving immigrants in your community.  

The HBIA webpage on the HFS website will be updated with additional information. Providers are encouraged to review the information available on this website. For additional questions, please refer to the contacts below:

·         Customer Eligibility - The Health Benefits Hotline at 1-800-226-0768
·         FFS Billing Questions – The Bureau of Professional and Ancillary Services at 877-782-5565.
·         Managed Care – Contact Information for Health Plans

Kelly Cunningham, Administrator
Division of Medicaid Programs