Immigrants who can’t afford health insurance barred from entry

Citing the drain of uncompensated care on American finances, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has suspended the entry of immigrants who cannot secure health insurance within 30 days of entering the U.S. or cannot pay their own healthcare costs.

In a presidential proclamation Trump issued and signed on Oct. 4, 2019, he directed the suspension of entry of immigrants if they cannot acquire health insurance within 30 days upon entering the U.S. or cannot pay their own healthcare costs starting Nov. 3, 2019.

“The costs associated with [healthcare for immigrants] are passed on to the American people in the form of higher taxes, higher premiums, and higher fees for medical services,” the proclamation noted on the White House website.

“Beyond imposing higher costs on hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure, uninsured individuals often use emergency rooms to seek remedies for a variety of non-emergency conditions, causing overcrowding and delays for those who truly need emergency services. This non-emergency usage places a large burden on taxpayers, who reimburse hospitals for a portion of their uncompensated emergency care costs,” the proclamation further noted.

The proclamation will not allow immigrants from entering the United States if they do not have at least one of nine approved health insurance means within 30 days upon entry into the U.S., such as an employer-sponsored plan; an unsubsidized health plan offered within a state’s a short-term limited duration health policy effective for at least a year; a catastrophic plan; a family member’s plan; a medical plan under Chapter 55 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code; a visitor health insurance plan that provides adequate coverage for medical care for at least a year; a medical plan under the Medicare program; or any other health plan that provides adequate coverage for medical care.

However, aliens already holding a valid immigrant visa issued before Nov. 3, 2019, are exempted from the entry suspension, including aliens seeking to enter the U.S. through a special immigrant visa, who is also a national of Afghanistan or Iraq, or his or her spouse and children; any alien who is the child of a U.S. citizen who is seeking to enter the U.S. through immediate relative visas; any alien seeking to enter the U.S. through a returning resident immigrant visa; any alien under 18, except for any alien accompanying a parent who is also immigrating to the U.S.; any alien whose entry would further U.S. law enforcement objectives as determined by the U.S. Secretary of State; and any alien whose entry would be in the national interest.