“Public Charge” would make it harder for immigrant families to stay together and meet their basic needs.
By targeting low-income immigrant seniors who may need extra help from programs like Medicaid, the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (“Extra Help”) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), changes to public charge would ensure that the American Dream is only available to immigrants who are healthy and wealthy and who do not have disabilities. If the public charge rule is enacted, it would threaten the ability of immigrants to obtain permanent residency (green cards) if they have ever needed help, or were likely to need help, from certain government programs and make it difficult for multi-generational families to care for one another and succeed.
The Public Charge rule is open for public comments until December 10, 2018. We encourage everyone to use the Justice in Aging resources below to help you comment on the rule’s particular impacts on older adults and caregivers.