Appeals and state-based health insurance options for immigrants
Immigrants can appeal Medicaid terminations through the state Department of Human Services’ County Assistance Offices, especially if their immigration status on file is out of date or if they potentially qualify for Pennsylvania’s state-funded Medicaid program.
People who lose federal insurance benefits could qualify for state-only Medicaid if they meet certain income and asset limits.
They also need to fall into at least one of the following eligibility categories: parents of children under 21, people 59 and older, people who have a disability or need “health sustaining medications,” a caregiver of young children or household members who are disabled or ill, people in addiction treatment, victims of domestic violence who are receiving protective services, and people who work at least 100 hours a month at minimum wage.
Eligibility for the state program is much broader than the federal one, so people shouldn’t wait to file an appeal, Pileggi said, even if they don’t know for certain it will get approved.
“Most of the time, an appeal has merit,” she said.
People who submit appeals postmarked before or on Oct. 1 can keep their current federal Medicaid health insurance while their case is reviewed, which is the ideal scenario, Pileggi said.
But there will still be people who miss that deadline, said Kyle Fisher, managing attorney at the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, who expects many immigrants will have some lapse in coverage.
People may also hesitate because they don’t understand the complex eligibility and documentation requirements for both the appeal and for state-funded Medicaid reviews, including income limits, he said.
“No one’s figuring that out without help from legal aid, right?” Fisher asked.
DHS officials said they will review everyone affected by the federal changes to see if they qualify for state-funded Medicaid, but legal experts said the decisions won’t be immediate.