Proposed Public Charge Regulation Causes Confusion in Clinics, Elsewhere
A Trump administration proposal to redefine what constitutes a “public charge” is making life challenging for low-income immigrants and the clinics and other providers to which they turn for Medicaid-covered health care. The proposed regulation from the Department of Homeland Security would establish new criteria for determining whether a person is a “public charge,” based on their participation in certain public programs, and therefore in jeopardy of losing their legal immigration status. Some Medicaid patients who come to clinics ask if receiving Medicaid-covered services might jeopardize their legal immigration status; others fail to keep appointments or forego seeking care out [...]