During your stay in the United States, you may have heard about Medicaid before, a government program that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. While you may believe you meet these parameters based on this basic description, you may be unsure whether your non-citizen status ruins your chances of eligibility. Well, in this case, please continue reading to learn whether you can receive Medicaid coverage as a U.S. immigrant and how an experienced family immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., can help you get the aid you are eligible for and ultimately require.
Can I get Medicaid coverage as a United States immigrant?
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), certain groups of non-citizens are qualified to opt for Medicaid coverage. Firstly, they must have entered the United States with their legal status before August 22, 1996. Then, they must have lived and worked in the country for a specific period, such as the five-year waiting period. This is, of course, in addition to meeting the Medicaid program’s other criteria, such as categorical, financial, and state residency statuses. From here, the eligible groups read as follows:
- Lawful permanent residents.
- Refugees.
- Cuban and Haitian entrants.
- Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants.
- Certain Afghan and Ukrainian parolees treated like refugees.
- Immigrants granted parole for at least one year.
- Immigrants granted asylum or related relief.
- Certain battered spouses and children.
- Certain victims of human trafficking.
- Citizens of the Freely Associated States residing in the U.S. states and territories.
Does receiving Medicaid coverage affect my immigration status?
Say that your long-term goal is to attain citizenship status in the United States. And so, you may fear that receiving Medicaid coverage will reflect poorly on your immigration application. That is, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may deem you as a “public charge” for using government-funded resources. With this, you may refrain from opting into the Medicaid program, despite desperately requiring this healthcare.
Well, you may rest easier knowing that on December 23, 2022, the USCIS amended the rules surrounding what constitutes a public charge. These new rules hold that non-citizens should not be deterred from government health programs crucial for keeping them and their families healthy, including Medicaid. The only exception here, though, is that you cannot submit yourself to long-term care in an institution at the government’s expense through the Medicaid program.
Understandably, this may all seem like a headache during this especially overwhelming time. Well, to alleviate some of the pent-up stress, please turn to the legal aid of a skilled family immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI. Contact our office, Sesini Law Group, S.C., right now; someone will be more than happy to speak with you.