Legal immigrants in the US to lose Medicaid access under new federal rules
Changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements under President Trump's spending plan will leave hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants without health insurance starting Thursday
Changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements under President Trump's spending plan will leave hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants without health insurance starting Thursday
Hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants in the U.S. will lose access to Medicaid starting Thursday due to changes in eligibility requirements under President Donald Trump's spending plan, signed into law in July of last year.
The new rules remove Medicaid access for refugees, immigrants and those seeking asylum legally admitted to the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.
Individuals in this category previously did not have to wait five years to apply for residency and qualify for Medicaid like most other immigrants, but that's no longer the case.
"It's heartbreaking that we are turning our back on people that we have invited here," said Joan Kelly with the Jewish Vocational Service. The organization often works with individuals affected by the new guidelines.
"This group of people were invited by the United States government, and now that same government is removing these benefits from them," Kelly said.
She warns that the change could overwhelm local healthcare systems and have life-threatening consequences.
"The supply of support does not meet the demand that we're seeing in our community," Kelly said.
Kelly says the path to permanent residency remains difficult, with only eight green card applications approved in Missouri last quarter, while 8,500 applications are still pending. But not everyone has time to wait.
"We have an individual that was taken off the transplant list. We have 16 clients that are in dialysis treatment that will not be able to receive ongoing care," Kelly said.
While 38 states have chosen to continue healthcare for lawfully present children, neither Missouri nor Kansas is among them.
Medicaid access will remain intact for American citizens, nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA residents.