Health Insurance for Immigrants Applying for Visas: Federal Judge Blocks the Trump Administration Rule
On November 2, 2019 a federal judge in Oregon blocked the Trump Administration’s rule scheduled to take place November 3rd requiring that immigrants applying for visas be able to prove that they can obtain eligible health insurance within 30 days of arriving in the United States or that they will have sufficient funds to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs.
The proclamation required that individuals who qualified for a federal tax subsidy to assist them in buying health insurance on the Affordable Care Act would not get that option, nor could Medicaid count under the policy.
Under the rule, insurance could be short-term or catastrophic and could be purchased individually or provided by an employer. The rule would not apply to immigrants already in the United States, nor to asylum seekers, refugees, lawful permanent residents and other exceptions. The rule applies to prospective immigrants.
The temporary block will remain in place for four weeks for the plaintiffs and government to prepare and present evidence to the court. It is not clear as to when the judge will rule on the merits of this case.
For more information, please contact our office for a free telephone consultation (15 minute) at 248-557-3645.
Sevahn Merian
Associate Attorney, Immigration Law Department
The Law Offices of Joumana Kayrouz, PLLC