10/10/2019

President Trump issued a new Presidential Proclamation on October 4^th that requires immigrant visa applicants to show they have health insurance within 30 days of entering the country or the financial capacity to pay for their own health care. Starting on November 3^rd 2019, all visa applicants will be required to meet this new threshold, or be barred from entering the country.

 

The White House wrote that their primary concern is that health care providers and tax payers bear substantial costs in paying for medical expenses “incurred by people who lack health insurance or the ability to pay for their healthcare.” Essentially, they posit that immigrants enjoy a disproportionate amount of benefits offered by the American health care system than they contribute toward. However, the realities of this are simply unsubstantiated by the facts. According to the 2017 US Census Bureau information, 57% of immigrants are privately insured, 30% are publicly insured, and 13% are uninsured. Also, a 2018 study based on data collected by the federal government showed that immigrants accounted for 12.6% of premiums paid to private insurers, but were only 9.1% of beneficiaries from those insurers. So, in almost every case, the exact opposite of the White Houses’ claim is true: immigrants contribute more to the American health care system than they benefit from it.

 

In fact, most low-income immigrants are not even eligible for public health insurance under the current system. Wendy Parmet, law professor at Northeastern University, writes, “The reason why immigrants are less likely to be [publicly] insured is because they’re less likely to be eligible for health insurance programs. Congress and states have decided not to provide coverage. They uninsured because of public policies.” So, with immigrants already at a disadvantage in receiving the public benefits from the healthcare system, President Trump’s new Proclamation will only burden them further. Since programs like Medicaid and others under the Affordable Care Act will no longer be accessible to immigrants, the rule will require enrollment in private insurance for those without the financial means to cover their own expenses; which is a significant concern for the spouses, children, and parents of immigrants.

 

While the new requirement under President Trump’s agenda is concerning for immigrants and their families, there are still various uncertainties in regards to how it would be carried out. For example, the State Department has not clarified any monetary thresholds that would meet the standard to pay for foreseeable medical costs. So, going forward, we will be closely monitoring how the Trump Administration plans to execute their new policy. As in the past, our firm has diligently monitored the changing waves of immigration throughout the Trump Presidency. For more information on the new Presidential Proclamation or questions on any of your other immigration needs, contact our office today!