Far-Left House Candidate Champions Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants: "How Is It Controversial?"

Kat Abughazaleh, 26, has ignited new debate in the Illinois ninth congressional district and nationwide after calling for universal healthcare — explicitly including undocumented immigrants. During a televised discussion on Thursday evening, Abughazaleh questioned the controversy surrounding her stance, stating, “every single person in the world deserves healthcare”. When pressed about whether this coverage should apply to those in the U.S. illegally, the young candidate was unequivocal: “I don't want someone to die in the hospital if they can't afford it.”

Abughazaleh’s remarks highlight the sharply contrasting visions for healthcare currently dominating the 2024 political landscape. In the House, Republican leadership is advancing President Donald Trump’s proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping legislative package that includes Medicaid reforms celebrated by conservatives as a way to cut costs and reduce government waste. These reforms explicitly seek to purge illegal immigrants from Medicaid eligibility, a provision that Republicans argue will ensure that limited federal resources support only eligible American citizens.

“Targeting waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program cuts benefits to illegal immigrants, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, duplicate enrollees in one or more states, and those who are able-bodied but are choosing not to work,” said Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana, who played a key role in budget negotiations. Republican lawmakers insist the bill does not reduce protections for the nation’s most vulnerable, but rather focuses savings on rooting out improper payments and tightening eligibility requirements.

Democrats have fiercely opposed the measure. Every Democratic representative voted against the bill, labeling the Medicaid reforms as thinly veiled cuts that jeopardize millions of Americans’ access to care. With midterm elections looming in 2026, party strategists are positioning potential Medicaid reductions as a major campaign issue, arguing that Republican proposals would withdraw crucial healthcare support from Americans while failing to achieve substantive cost savings.

Abughazaleh directly confronted Republican narratives on social media, declaring, “Your bill is going to cut coverage for 11 million Americans and it’ll still cost more than universal healthcare. Healthcare is a human right, you absolute ghouls.” The candidate’s blunt challenge gained immediate traction among progressive voters disillusioned with traditional party politics — a demographic she aims to energize as she takes on longtime incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

The race reflects a broader battle over the future of healthcare in America, with Abughazaleh’s candidacy symbolizing the generational and ideological divisions within the Democratic Party itself. As she puts it, “Our leaders are out of touch” — a message resonating with younger, left-leaning voters seeking bold action on universal coverage, even as establishment Democrats and nearly all Republicans hold fast to more restrictive approaches.

With the fate of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act still uncertain in Congress and primary season approaching, the debate over whether healthcare should be a universal right — regardless of immigration status — is poised to remain a defining issue through 2024 and beyond.