A politically divided Minnesota legislature following the 2024 elections resulted in a 67-67 tie in the House, while Democrats maintained a one seat majority in the Senate. This near-even split reflected voters delivering as close to a legislative mathematical tie as possible.
Taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants became one of the most contentious issues in the legislature, contributing to budget tensions and nearly leading to a government shutdown. Exploding enrollment in the program prompted lawmakers in 2025 to scale it back for adults, ending eligibility on December 31, 2025 (effective January 1, 2026).
The Walz administration provided guidance for undocumented immigrants accessing taxpayer-funded MinnesotaCare with minimal documentation or delays. Approximately 20,000 undocumented immigrants enrolled in 2025. Although the program is ending for adults (while remaining available for those under 18), the implementation guidance offers insight into policies that show why fraud is rampant here.
MinnesotaCare enrollees who had previously claimed U.S. citizenship are encouraged to update their status to undocumented without additional verification. This admits a fraud against the U.S. Medicaid system, and then blesses it under the State Seal. No Social Security number is required, nor is there a minimum residency period in the state—a simple attestation of intent to reside in Minnesota suffices..
In the November 7, 2024, bulletin titled “Expanding MinnesotaCare Eligibility to Include Undocumented Individuals,” the Minnesota Department of Human Services stated: “When an enrollee who has previously indicated that they are a U.S. citizen or lawfully present non-citizen corrects their information to indicate that they are not considered lawfully present, the new attested information is not subject to verification.”
This means that if someone previously obtained benefits by falsely claiming citizenship, they could now qualify for MinnesotaCare legally under the expanded rules by attesting to undocumented status, without further checks.
Residency requirements are similarly flexible: “People are not required to live in Minnesota for a specific duration of time to be considered a resident.” Applicants need only attest to undocumented status and intent to make Minnesota their home.
Even if an undocumented applicant has employer-sponsored insurance, they may still qualify for taxpayer funded MinnesotaCare if the state deems the employer-offered insurance is “unaffordable.”
Without a Social Security number, income verification is limited, making it difficult to remove ineligible enrollees. The primary check is a name and date-of-birth match, used only to prevent duplicate enrollment. Enrollees are at an advantage if they claim no income and no SSN because there is no way to verify the information. This creates a lower standard for program integrity for those without lawful status.
This foolhardy program was a fraud haven even before it got off the ground.
MinnesotaCare’s design for undocumented enrollees created vulnerabilities to fraud that had to be purposeful. The program, estimated to cost $104 million in 2025, ends for adults at year’s end. Self-attestation policies show why fraud concerns persist in Minnesota’s benefit programs. Proponents view health insurance—along with food and housing—as a fundamental need, where barriers like verification requirements are sometimes criticized as overly restrictive. However an audit of this program will likely show why the honor system is only serving to make crooks rich by putting the greedy ahead of the needy.
An audit will help prevent this program from returning with the next crop of enablers.
