The program has served as a medical lifeline for some of the city\u2019s immigrants<\/a> who are excluded from Medicaid and other public programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always alarming and very concerning to see drops in enrollment in healthcare<\/a>, right? Especially for vulnerable populations,\u201d City Councilmember Alexa Avil\u00e9s, who serves on the committee for immigration, told The City Reporter.\u00a0<\/p>\n NYC Health + Hospitals<\/a>, which administers NYC Care, blamed the drop on a combination of factors: aging participants transitioning to Medicaid regardless of their immigration status; expansion of Medicaid and Child Health Plus; and continuous Medicaid eligibility for children under the age of six.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, the agency is hearing \u201canecdotally\u201d of an \u201cincreasing reluctance\u201d by immigrants to hand over basic information needed to enroll due to fears it could be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>, according to the yearly management report.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cImmigrants in particular are definitely fearful as they see the federal government taking data from other agencies where historically they did not do that,\u201d Avil\u00e9s said. \u201cSo folks are feeling very vulnerable and potentially targeted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, the Associated Press reported that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had shared patients\u2019 personal data<\/a> with ICE.\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE: Follow The City Reporter\u2019s Award-Winning Immigration Coverage<\/a><\/p>\n It has long been hard to track how undocumented people obtain medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n But broader cuts enacted at the federal level \u2014 including restrictions to New York\u2019s Essential Plan<\/a> and stricter Medicaid work requirements<\/a> \u2014 have caused many low-income residents, including immigrants, to lose coverage entirely, according to industry experts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very clear in high immigrant populations, there are people who are not getting medical care that they need to have because of fear of ICE,\u201d Thomas Farley, a former New York City health commissioner, told The City Reporter.<\/p>\n \u2018Stay Invisible\u2019<\/p>\n Dr. Chanelle Diaz, a primary care physician who advocates for immigrant health, began seeing a drop in undocumented patients shortly after Trump was elected in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen any of my patients on charity care come into the clinic in recent months,\u201d she told The City Reporter in August 2025. \u201cThey\u2019ve just gone off the map.\u201d<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Diaz said that some patients aren\u2019t even taking meetings with lawyers partnering with doctors to assist their immigration cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to stay as invisible as possible in this moment,\u201d Diaz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/012226_woodhull_youth_clinic_opening-16.jpg\")
A busy entrance at Woodhull Hospital in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Jan. 22, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg\/THE CITY<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/AP26283000736332.jpg\")
A demonstrator carries a sign on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, to protest the Oct. 8 shooting of a man by an immigration officer in the Marble Hill neighborhood. Credit: AP Photo\/Madison Swart<\/p>\n