WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's national-emergency declaration Friday stands to be a key step in clearing the way for states to get Medicaid waivers to tackle the coronavirus, health officials say.
And, the U.S. government is relaxing a new rule that disqualifies some people from getting green cards if they use government benefits, saying that the rule will not apply to immigrants who seek care for coronavirus or virus symptoms.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency said late Friday that seeking treatment or preventive services won't affect someone's immigration status under the highly criticized rule change, which took effect last month and targets immigrants who use public assistance.
Advocates say they have been fielding panicked calls from people worried about the impact on their immigration status if they seek health care for virus symptoms.
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Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said her group and others held a news conference urging immigrants to seek care if needed and reminding them that their health, and the health of their families, is most important.
"People are wondering about their vulnerability both in terms of disease but their vulnerability in terms of immigration status, in terms of being discovered," she said.
In previous emergencies, including the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the H1N1 flu outbreak, Republican and Democratic administrations loosened Medicaid rules to empower states to meet surging needs.
The steps that California, Washington and other states want to take likely would increase the number of people enrolled in the Medicaid program.
Medicaid, the half-century-old government safety net program, and the related Children's Health Insurance Program provide health insurance to more than 70 million low-income Americans, many of whom gained health insurance through the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
To control fraud, the program has extensive rules dictating who is eligible and what kinds of medical services can be covered. Federal officials can penalize states that don't scrutinize who receives benefits.
During big disasters, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has traditionally loosened these rules.
States need similar flexibility now, said Jacey Cooper, who directs California's Medicaid program.
Among other things, Cooper said the state wants to shorten lengthy verification procedures to quickly enroll people. Public-health experts fear that gaps in insurance coverage will make controlling the coronavirus more difficult because patients who don't have insurance won't seek medical attention and testing that they fear they can't afford.
California and other states also want to ensure that mobile clinics and other temporary facilities can bill Medicaid, which also would require a waiver.
Information for this article was contributed by Noam N. Levey of The Los Angeles Times; and by Astrid Galvan, Nomaan Merchant and Amy Taxin of The Associated Press.
A Section on 03/14/2020