For Immediate Release: Sunday, September 23, 2018
Contact: Morgan Williams Grogan, 202-836-9890, morgan.grogan@berlinrosen.com
Trump’s Public Charge Rule Targets Immigrants’ Health Care
Washington, DC – In response to the Trump Administration’s announcement of a new public charge rule, Health Care for America Now Executive Director Margarida Jorge released the following statement:
“Trump’s new rule is the latest racist attack on the health and wellbeing of immigrant families in America. It will strip health care from immigrant families and will discourage people who may be eligible from signing up for health insurance for themselves or their children out of fear of being separated from their families, losing status, or being deported. By cutting immigrant access to children’s health insurance, food assistance, and maternal and infant nutrition, Trump is making it nearly impossible for immigrants in need of basic benefits to obtain a green card.
“Hard-working immigrants are the backbone of the U.S. economy yet millions of immigrants are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Safety net programs like Medicaid, EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) supplement their incomes, help them make ends meet and keep families out of poverty. No one should be forced to choose between jeopardizing their child’s health or jeopardizing their life in America, but that’s exactly what Trump’s public charge rule will do. Rather than shutting out immigrants who strengthen our economy or punishing immigrants with inhumane policies, the Trump administration should be taking action to unify families and create a path to citizenship so immigrants can fully participate in our society.”
###
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the national grassroots coalition that ran a $60 million five-and-a-half year campaign from 2008-2013 to pass, protect, and promote the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and protect Medicare and Medicaid. HCAN has come back together to fight the Republicans’ all-out effort to take away America’s health care and put people at the mercy of the health insurance companies again.
