A “chilling effect” on Medi-Cal enrollment
The concept of public charges has existed in US immigration policy. over a century. According to statistics, from 1999 to 2019, the proportion of illegal immigrants considered an official offense was 3%. UCLA Institute for Latin American Policy and Politics (LPPI) because there were a limited number of social programs that illegal immigrants had to take advantage of to be considered a public charge. When the Trump administration expanded that list to include more social programs, the percentage of illegal immigrants considered a public charge rose to 47%.
After the Trump administration’s public charge changes, Medicaid applications immediately fell, according to UCLA researchers. They found that 17% of illegal immigrants avoided enrolling in public benefits in 2019. Additionally, mixed-status households avoid applying for public benefits for fear of putting undocumented loved ones at risk, and immigrant parents with U.S.-born children avoid purchasing health insurance for their children. I did it. They are making profits out of fear that it will have a negative impact on their family’s position in the country.
Although the Trump administration’s changes were challenged in court and ultimately overturned in 2021, UCLA researchers found evidence that the “chilling effect” persists years later. Fears of public prosecution resurfaced in 2023 when UCLA researchers began investigating California’s expansion of Medi-Cal to illegal immigrants.
“Immigration status continues to be a barrier for people to enroll in Medi-Cal,” said Lucia Félix Beltrán, senior research fellow at LPPI. “There’s still quite a bit of work to be done when it comes to utility bills, and that’s where collaboration with community organizations is needed. But still, these decisions seem to be made at the household level. How many organizations get involved? It doesn’t matter how many flyers to distribute or how many summaries to publish. Those decisions are made at home, so that’s where it gets a little tricky.”
in a statement to El TimpanoA spokesperson for the California Department of Health Services said the agency “cannot speculate on the potential impact of future utility rule changes.” However, “California law strictly protects personal information, including immigration status, and guarantees confidentiality for all applicants. An individual applies for Medi-Cal without satisfactory immigration status. California does not share its immigration status with the federal government, and the federal government does not have access to state-owned data.”
changing heart
Changing minds when the risks are perceived to be so high is a challenge for nonprofits tasked with informing community members about Medi-Cal and utility bills.
The DHCS website includes: Information in Spanish This is a reminder to interested Medi-Cal applicants that their information will not be shared with federal immigration enforcement agencies. All of the money spent on expanding Medi-Cal to illegal aliens comes from state funds. In any case, other examples of long-term institutional care paid for by the government include care in nursing homes and mental health facilities. US Citizenship and Immigration Services—Medi-Cal is not subject to public charge regulations. (According to DHCS, short-term residential care, such as rehabilitation, respite care, and treatment for behavioral and substance use disorder issues, is not considered subject to public charge review.)
But DHCS says if you need advice on how to proceed with your utility bills and Medi-Cal, you should consult a certified nonprofit organization. DHCS cannot directly answer questions on this subject. Among these certified nonprofit organizations is the Multicultural Institute, which provides medical, immigration, and labor resources to immigrant families at three locations in the Bay Area.
The blocks around Berkeley’s Multicultural Institute are lined with day laborers and immigrant men looking for construction and other domestic jobs. The organization’s outreach workers spend the morning canvassing the blocks, talking to men and finding out what they need, whether it’s food from the pantry or medical coverage.
Daniela González Pérez, health and engagement manager at the Multicultural Institute, said, “We don’t have lawyers here, but we are doing everything we can to bring charges.” Concerns continue to be voiced in the aftermath of the incident. He added when asked. What was life like during the Trump administration?
“There was a huge fear of deportation, you know, because of the reality that we’re living under President Trump’s America and the fear of President Trump’s hatred and disrespect for immigrant communities,” she said. Ta. “There is still a lot of uncertainty about what actually happens if they apply for benefits… If they are very concerned, we refer them to our partner organizations that handle immigration cases. Let me introduce you.”
What many health and immigration advocates frequently hear, according to interviews with El Timpanowhere undocumented immigrants avoid public benefits and delay seeing a doctor or medical professional for years until their needs become so severe that they have to go to the emergency room.
“Some people say that immigrants spend too much on public benefits, but the numbers… Based on that, that’s not true.” . Utilization of public benefits decreases when comparing low-income U.S. citizens to low-income non-citizens. In most parts of the United States, most undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid. California is an exception. However, when comparing low-income U.S.-born Americans to immigrants eligible for federal Medicaid benefits, participation in the program was 76% for citizens and 66% for non-citizens. According to MPI. Researchers found that fear of participating in government programs can inhibit participation.
Helping California’s undocumented immigrants overcome their fears could be an uphill battle for the United States. propagandist Our mission is to connect communities with Medi-Cal.
“There was a guy who was trying to sign up for Medi-Cal, but I said no because Trump was just going to take it away,” Robles said in Spanish, laughing about it with Peralta outside the La Superior grocery store. spoke. Pittsburgh.
“People are starting to trust us little by little because we meet often,” she added. “At first I felt like no one wanted to do it. [enroll]like they didn’t trust us very much. But now that we’re here so often, people recognize us and say, “Oh, you guys are the ladies of Medical.” They will recognize us and start sharing their problems. ”
Robles himself is an undocumented immigrant who only earned his medical this year through the program’s latest expansion. She often shares her experiences with people who express fear of public accusations.
“We’re here to convince them,” she said. “Look, this is very important for you, for your health… This won’t hurt, on the contrary, it will help.”
Often their efforts are successful. A few miles away, at the Monument Impact office in Antioquia, Espinoza, senior propagandist For organizations, it helps immigrants organize their plans for the day so they can sit with team members and work together on their Medi-Cal claims. Some of the people in the waiting room are walk-ins.
“There are some people who can’t accept it, but there are people who can,” Espinoza said.
By the end of the day, 13 people were newly enrolled in Medi-Cal.
this article First published on September 25, 2024. El Timpanoreprinted with permission.
