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NY officials worry migrants will skip healthcare amid fed policy change
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 6, 2026
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By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 6, 2026
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City health officials are concerned that recent federal changes to the green card application process could lead some New York immigrants to avoid public benefit programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Starting in mid-September, the Trump administration enacted changes that allow immigration officials to weigh public assistance when deciding whether to approve certain green card and visa applications.
But New Yorkers shouldn’t panic and ditch benefits they’re qualified for before speaking with a legal expert about their case, Bailey Hu, a senior policy analyst at the city health department, cautioned during a webinar on immigrant healthcare access Monday.
“We don't want people because of fear or confusion not using really important benefits that could help keep them healthy and safe,” Hu told the webinar attendees, many of whom worked for community-based organizations that assist immigrants throughout the city.
Federal immigration officers have long been able to bar immigrants from obtaining green cards if they’re likely to become “public charges,” meaning they rely too heavily on government assistance. But under the Biden administration, the public charge assessment was limited to cash assistance or long-term care in an institution such as a nursing home.
The new rules expand the public charge assessment to include other “means-tested” benefits, such as housing assistance and financial aid for college, in addition to SNAP and Medicaid, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The public charge rules only apply to a narrow set of immigration cases, however, Hu said.
A city fact sheet breaking down the new rules indicates that they don’t apply to people renewing green cards, applying for citizenship or applying for green cards through certain humanitarian protections such as those seeking asylum or refugee status.
President Donald Trump’s attempt to alter the public charge rule during his first term was blocked in court during the COVID-19 pandemic. New York and a coalition of 21 other states sued the Trump administration last month to block the changes once again, but they are currently still in place.
The public charge rule is just one of several new policies being enacted during Trump’s second term that make healthcare access for immigrants more precarious.
For instance, thousands of New Yorkers who are losing temporary protected status are also at risk of losing their jobs — and employer-based health insurance — as a result. In the New York City area, some 600 healthcare workers who are members of the union 1199SEIU have already lost jobs because of TPS changes, according to the union. But 1199 said many of those affected will remain insured through the union’s benefit fund for up to six months.
In some cases, New Yorkers are being protected from the effects of federal changes felt elsewhere in the country.
A piece of the H.R. 1 domestic policy bill Trump and Congressional Republicans passed last year took effect on Oct. 1, blocking federal funds from paying for Medicaid coverage for certain groups of legal immigrants, including refugees. However, in New York those immigrants are still eligible for premium-free coverage through the public Essential Plan, said Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives at the Community Service Society of New York, which advocates for consumers.
But the threats to coverage keep coming.
Starting in January, Benjamin said, some 15,000 immigrants will no longer qualify for federal subsidies for private health plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace — which could make insurance unaffordable.
New Yorkers can access the city’s Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 1-800-354-0365. NYC Care helps people who do not qualify for or cannot afford health insurance access care.
Tagged
Health and Science
healthcare
immigrants
new jersey
new york state
Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist. She has covered COVID, a nurses' strike, the overdose crisis and New York’s marijuana legalization effort, and spent a year investigating patients' medical bills. She always wants to hear about how everyday New Yorkers experience the health system. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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