This truth sheet was co-authored by Natalie Kean, Director of Federal Well being Advocacy at Justice in Ageing, and Ben D’Avanzo, Senior Strategist, Well being Advocacy at Nationwide Immigration Legislation Heart.
Over 8 million older immigrant adults dwell in america. Over 1.6 million noncitizens are enrolled in Medicare.[1] The reconciliation laws handed by the Home of Representatives cuts well being care for individuals who are lawfully current, approved to work, and have lived within the U.S. and paid taxes for a few years.
Breaking Medicare’s Promise
Below current legislation, lawfully current immigrants are eligible for Medicare if they’ve the required work quarters and meet age or incapacity necessities. Immigrants are additionally required to pay taxes and, together with their employers, should pay the two.9% Medicare tax to fund this system. In 2023, immigrants paid $58.7 billion into the Medicare belief fund.
The established order displays the promise of Medicare: if you happen to work and pay your Medicare taxes, you’ll have well being protection once you retire or develop into disabled.
The Home reconciliation invoice rips up that promise. Medicare eligibility could be restricted virtually solely to U.S. residents, lawful everlasting residents (inexperienced card holders), sure Cubans, and other people residing underneath a Compact of Free Affiliation. Another immigrant could be excluded, regardless of if they’re lawfully current or how lengthy they’ve labored.
This reconciliation invoice sends a chilling message to all Individuals: Congress is keen to take Medicare from individuals who pay into this system.
Multiplying the Hurt by Slashing Medicaid and ACA
These shedding protection from Medicare could be harm by a provision eradicating eligibility for a similar teams of lawfully current immigrants for Reasonably priced Care Act (ACA) tax credit. At this time, somebody who’s ineligible for Medicare should purchase ACA protection as an alternative, however these immigrants will probably be left with none reasonably priced pathways to well being care.
All older immigrants would even be harm by all of the Medicaid cuts, together with the availability forcing states to cease protecting immigrants with their very own funds. As a result of this provision, states wouldn’t have the ability to step up and supply well being take care of immigrants shedding Medicare eligibility. If a state did, they’d face a ten% lower to their Medicaid matching funds for the enlargement inhabitants.
Depart Immigrants Alone!
Congress should reject these insurance policies that undermine Medicare and go away older immigrants with none cheap pathway to well being care. To do in any other case will result in disastrous penalties for all of us.
Endnote
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Weighted worth derived from Justice in Ageing’s cross-tabulation utilizing knowledge from the 2023, one-year American Group Survey (ACS) file. ↑
