The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will implement its revised “public charge” rule today. The public charge rule affects certain individuals’ ability to obtain green cards or change their immigration status based on whether they have received certain public benefits, including Medicaid.
DHS finalized new regulations last year on the public charge determination but was enjoined from implementing them by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The US Supreme Court recently stayed that injunction, paving the way for the rule to go into effect pending the government’s appeals. As a result, DHS said it will implement the new rule on February 24 in every state except Illinois, where the rule remains enjoined by a Federal court.
GNYHA and LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group, will host a March 3 webinar to address the public charge rule’s implementation and the scope of its reach. The webinar will prepare GNYHA members to stem the rule’s potential chilling effect on patients seeking health care and benefits for which they are eligible, and provide resources where concerned individuals in New York State can find information and advice to help them make decisions about their benefits. GNYHA members are encouraged to raise questions and concerns about the public charge rule during the webinar.