Giving Compass' Take:

· Kathryn Pitkin Derose explains that the proposed “public charge” rule not only threatens immigrant healthcare, but could potentially cause issues for all US citizens. If the “public charge” rule is implemented, any immigrant who has used public welfare services will be denied citizenship to the US. 

· How would this rule limit the number of immigrants granted citizenship? How would it affect the US economy?

· Read more about the "public charge" rule.

The “public charge” rule that affects who can enter the United States legally and possibly gain legal permanent resident status is set to be amended, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document published Wednesday in the Federal Register.

The proposed changes could jeopardize decades of progress towards improved health care access and health for immigrants and U.S. citizens.

These changes would make authorized immigrants who receive Medicaid ineligible for green cards and visas and, in some cases, subject them to deportation. (Some classes of immigrants are exempted from the public charge rule, such as refugees and asylees).

As noted in the document from DHS, the change in definition of “public charge” will have repercussions for health care access for many immigrant families and, potentially, for the health of U.S. citizens as well.

The use of “public charge” in immigration policy has been around since the late 1800s, but it wasn't until the end of the 1900s that it was tied to receipt of health care benefits.

In 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) restricted authorized immigrants' eligibility (unauthorized immigrants' eligibility was already restricted) for federally funded programs such as Medicaid by imposing a five-year residency requirement.

Read the full article about immigrant healthcare by Kathryn Pitkin Derose at the RAND Corporation.