Immigrant Health Care Remains Uncertain for Undocumented Families

Immigrant health care remains uncertain for undocumented families. Some are even sacrificing receiving medicaid for fear of deportation. As a result, some are dropping their hopes of getting medical perks altogether.

Accord/ing to NPR, getting health benefits has changed under the administration of Pres. Donald Trump, especially for immigrants and undocumented parents who have children born in the U.S. There are stricter guidelines for application nowadays and even the littlest details are scrutinized.

For the sake of not attracting attention for authorities, parents are choosing not to apply for Medicaid. For parents, the decision is difficult and even harder for those who have children with special needs. A proposed change in green card eligibility hopes to change that. Under the change, those who are receiving public benefits have better chances of getting permanent residency.

Immigrant health care issues have caused unnecessary stress among the Latino community. Per The Hill, a survey revealed that 65 percent of adults from Hispanic and Latino groups claim getting health care services is stressful. The stricter guidelines and fear of deportation could be connected to the health care problems.

On the other hand, mass shootings also ranked high in the survey results. Since Pres. Trump assumed office, hate crimes against Hispanics and Latinos increased. Trump has often posted on Twitter his anti-immigrant sentiments but he denies that he fuels the hate crimes. The Latino community started to fear for their lives. As a coping mechanism, some parents are advising their children not to wear anything that be identified with being Latino. The poll was conducted around the time that El Paso happened, so personal sentiments definitely played its part.

Trump announced some changes in the immigrant applications. A proclamation requiring immigrants to prove they can avail health insurance in the U.S. within a month or have the money to pay for hospital fees is set to take effect in November, Reuters reported. Failing to meet the requirements could mean visa application rejection.

The new guidelines aim to stop the taxpayers from shouldering the health care costs of those who do not have health care insurance or do not have the money to pay for it. The report cited data that state that a "lawful immigrants are about three times more likely than United States citizens to lack health insurance." Moreover, the Congress noted that this move is not about having fat bank accounts or being healthy but more on proof of being self-sufficient.

Immigrants who wished to be given residency are left with little to no choice. Lawyers are advising their immigrant clients to delay application until the new health care guidelines have been set. This means delayed family reunions and important family affairs missed.

The health insurance providers, on the other hand, saw an increase in interest in immigrant health package offers. Others have been offering insurance on a short term basis but the law requires coverage for a year. This is an option for those who can afford it and bad news for those who cannot. Until then, the future of immigrant hopefuls and their families remain uncertain.