Cutting Medicaid coverage for refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking after Sept. 30 is among the first of the changes to take effect.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services did not provide comment about the Trump administration\u2019s rationale for cutting Medicaid for refugees and asylees. But the White House has said the overarching law \u201cprotects and strengthens Medicaid for those who rely on it \u2014 pregnant women, children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families \u2014 while eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who advocate for immigrants\u2019 rights, however, say the loss of Medicaid will be a blow to already-vulnerable individuals, their families and the medical providers that may have to eat the costs of treating people with no coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve depended on having comprehensive health insurance to manage their chronic conditions, to get timely healthcare, to get preventative healthcare and screenings,\u201d said Andrea Kovach, a senior attorney at the Legal Council for Health Justice. \u201cWhen their coverage is terminated, that will be disrupted. It will lead to horrible health outcomes for them and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Refugee and asylum status is typically granted to people who have been persecuted or who fear they\u2019ll be persecuted in their home countries because of their race, religion, nationality, social group and\/or political opinions.<\/p>\n
Morales, 66, said she isn\u2019t sure exactly what her partner\u2019s immigration status is, but the letter he received in August said he was slated to lose Medicaid after Sept. 30 because of HR1 and his \u201cnoncitizen status.\u201d Morales and Cu\u0165a got together about 25 years ago, after he\u2019d already been in the country for several years, she said. He was a plumber by trade, she said.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been digging through his papers and reaching out to anyone she can think of to try to address the situation, but so far she hasn\u2019t had much luck.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis individual is really left navigating a quite complex case,\u201d said Edith Avila Hesser, health justice and policy director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, who\u2019s been trying to help Morales and Cu\u0165a. \u201cIt\u2019s actually a really sad situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Teresita](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/CTC-MEDICAID-IMMIGRANTS03_267277321.jpg\")
Teresita V. Morales shows pictures of her longtime partner, Eu\u0121en Cu\u0165a, in his younger days before suffering a stroke, on Sept. 28, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Morales wonders why the government can\u2019t make an exception for her partner, and she thinks the overall change in Medicaid coverage for immigrants is wrong. Morales said she is also disabled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s totally unfair, especially to those who have been here and made a life here,\u201d Morales said. \u201cThese people have paid their taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under the new law, some types of immigrants will be exempt from Medicaid loss, including lawfully present immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. Lawfully present children and pregnant people will also be allowed to keep their Medicaid.<\/p>\n
Notably, refugees, asylees and trafficking survivors who are lawful permanent residents, meaning they have green cards, will also be allowed to stay on Medicaid. Green cards allow people to live and work permanently in the United States.<\/p>\n
It can take time, however, for refugees and asylees to get green cards. Refugees can\u2019t apply for green cards until they\u2019ve been in the U.S. for a year, and asylees can\u2019t apply for green cards until a year has passed since they were granted asylum, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n
Once a person applies, it can then take more time to actually get a green card \u2014 sometimes more than a year and half, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can apply for their green card after a year, but there\u2019s a lot of sand in the gears of the immigration adjudication system right now as far as granting those green cards,\u201d Kovach said.<\/p>\n
That means that many legally present immigrants will be left in a bind, advocates say.<\/p>\n
In addition to the case of Morales\u2019 partner, Avila Hesser said she has seen a few people with diabetes in recent weeks who\u2019ve also been informed they\u2019re losing their Medicaid after this month. Now, they may have to\u00a0manage their illness without insurance coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for this particular group of individuals, because they do have lawful status, there\u2019s a sense of betrayal,\u201d Avila Hesser said. \u201cThey have status that is recognized and they have had access to these services like Medicaid and are suddenly being removed from eligibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cook County Health family medicine physician Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal said she\u2019s heard some of her patients, who are slated to lose coverage after Sept. 30, say they\u2019re not sure how they\u2019ll get their medication without Medicaid.<\/p>\n
More than 40% of the Illinois residents losing Medicaid after this month live in Cook County, and many of them speak Ukrainian, according to Cook County Health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hear a lot of fear,\u201d said Rajagopal, who is associate chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Cook County Health. \u201cThey\u2019re not sure what the next steps will be and what will be happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Teresita](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/CTC-MEDICAID-IMMIGRANTS09_267277895.jpg\")
Teresita V. Morales’ longtime partner, Eu\u0121en Cu\u0165a, has lived in nursing homes for the past 16 years after suffering a stroke. Cu\u0165a, shown on Sept. 28, 2026, recently received a letter from the state saying that he will lose Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1 because of HR1, which bars certain types of immigrants from receiving Medicaid. (E. Jason Wambsgans\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Immigrants who are losing Medicaid do have a few other options for healthcare \u2014 but none are as comprehensive as Medicaid, advocates say.<\/p>\n
Immigrants who lose coverage may turn to federally qualified health centers and community clinics that can offer them free care or charge them on a sliding scale based on their incomes.<\/p>\n
Also, they may still qualify for emergency Medicaid, but that only covers care during serious medical emergencies \u2014 not regular doctors\u2019 visits, prescriptions or ongoing treatment, according to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.<\/p>\n
There is also a federally funded program called Refugee Medical Assistance that covers refugees who aren\u2019t eligible for Medicaid, but that coverage lasts for only eight months.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of these options provide that sense of security that you have through having healthcare coverage, especially as someone with a disease or condition,\u201d Avila Hesser said.<\/p>\n