Fear as a Barrier to Coverage: The Chilling Effect of the Public Charge Rule on Children's Medicaid Enrollment

PROJECT DATE: to
This study examines the chilling effects of the Trump administration's 2019 public charge rule on Medi-Cal enrollment and healthcare access among immigrant populations in California. Using CHIS data from 2015 to 2024, we estimate multi-group difference-in-differences models comparing noncitizens (distinguished by green card status using confidential data), naturalized citizens, and U.S.-born citizens before and after the September 2018 announcement. The CHIS analysis supports a primary national analysis using ACS data showing that U.S. citizen children in mixed-status families experienced a 2.0 percentage point decline in Medicaid enrollment. We test whether effects varied by documentation status, county-level immigration enforcement intensity, and whether they persisted after the 2022 reversal.

Organization

University of Michigan

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR

Jonathan Palisoc

Primary Research Expertise

Population

Adult

,

Child

,

Teen

Tags

Medicaid, public charge, Medi-Cal, immigrant, undocumented, chilling effect, medicaid, medi-cal, non-citizen