U.S. immigration officials use the term “public charge” to describe people applying for a green card who are deemed likely to become primarily dependent on the government to meet their basic needs. Proposed changes to these immigration rules could have a significant impact on enrollment in public health safety net programs including Medicaid and food assistance.

This work will complement previous work done by Ninez Ponce and colleagues. For the current study, we will describe enrollment trends in Medicaid and SNAP, sociodemographic and health characteristics of those eligible for Medi-Cal, as well as the characteristics of those who are enrolling and not enrolling in Medi-Cal.

The project will provide data, analysis, and publications that inform policy-makers, community-based organizations, and advocacy groups working to protect vulnerable populations such as immigrants by expanding public awareness and understanding about policy changes that can negatively impact those populations.