Latest news with #immigrants
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom proposes $2,000 asset eligibility test to control soaring state Medi-Cal costs
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing an "asset test" for seniors to prove eligibility for Medi-Cal healthcare benefits for low-income Californians in response to a budget shortfall. To qualify, people would have to possess less than $2,000 in assets to qualify. The governor's budget proposal, written by the California Department of Finance, said the reasons for the increased costs include "higher overall enrollment, pharmacy costs and higher managed care costs." In the last 10 years, he said, Medi-Cal costs have increased by $20.5 billion. Newsom Proposes Freeze On Allowing Adult Illegal Immigrants To Join California Medicaid Program Newsom has also proposed freezing new enrollment for adults in the country illegally as a way to cut Medi-Cal costs. "Some of the most significant contributing factors to this growth are the COVID-19 continuous coverage requirement and the implementation of major policy changes such as the full elimination of the asset test for older adults and the full-scope expansion to all income-eligible Californians, regardless of immigration status," the proposal said. . Read On The Fox News App The assets included in the test would be salary, money in a bank account, cash on hand, a second car, home value and retirement funds. Applicants with more than $2,000 in assets would be ineligible for Medi-Cal. The 2025-26 budget proposal said Medi-Cal costs have increased starkly and continue to outpace revenues. The program cost $37.6 billion over the last year, and the cost is expected to increase by $10 billion over the next year without cuts. Along with low-income adults, many seniors and people with disabilities use Medi-Cal benefits that include in-home care services. For decades before 2024, the asset test was required for seniors to prove their eligibility for Medi-Cal, and Newsom's proposal would reinstate it. The proposal said that the asset test would save $94 million this fiscal year and $791 million by the 2028-29 fiscal year. Lawmakers In Deep Blue State Demand Audit Over Skyrocketing Healthcare Costs: 'Alarming Nature' Disability Rights California, a nonprofit, said the proposal would do "tremendous harm" to Californians. Illegal Immigrant Healthcare Costs In Blue State Triggers Intense Budget Debate "While we understand the reality of budget shortfalls and that cuts will sometimes be necessary, the priorities and reality of this May revision are even worse than what we imagined," the group said in a statement. "It demonstrates a continued willingness on the part of the governor to sacrifice the health and human services of California's people, particularly the disabled, poor, and elderly populations of this abundant state." The group added that the asset test "effectively demands extreme poverty in order to continue receiving critical healthcare." The governor defended his proposals, according to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "None of this is the kind of work you enjoy doing, but you've got to do it. We have to be responsible. We have to be accountable. We have to balance the budget." Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom's office for article source: Gavin Newsom proposes $2,000 asset eligibility test to control soaring state Medi-Cal costs
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lefty NYC Councilwoman Gale Brewer demanding free dental care for illegal migrants: ‘I'm already out $8,000-$10,000'
A lefty Upper West Side councilwoman is demanding free dental care for illegal immigrants — and revealed she's shelled out more than $8,000 of her own dough to keep their pearly whites intact. 'Is someone paying attention to all of their health needs!' Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) roared at NYC Health Department officials during a May 23 budget hearing. 'They have a lot of health needs. Forget the dental! I'm already out $8,000-$10,000 on the dental. So who is paying attention to them?' she scolded. Brewer, who earns $148,500 as a council member, told The Post Friday she's been fighting tooth and nail for migrants' health needs — including paying out of her own pocket for some of them to root canals, cavity fillings, and other dental procedures. 'I've been doing this kind of stuff for years, especially helping younger people,' said the 73-year-old Brewer, who previously fostered 35 children with her husband, author Cal Snyder. 'This is nothing new for me.' During the hearing, Brewer told Acting Health Commissioner Michelle Morse the agency needs to do a better job spreading the word about what free healthcare assistance is available to migrants at city hospitals — including dental. 'Those guys you see driving those mobile e-bikes, they all have [city-funded health insurance] …, but they don't know what to do with it, to be honest with you,' she said. 'And I assume you can't do dental, because you can't get dental for Americans — let alone for anybody else. They all have dental issues.' 'I happen to know a lot of … asylum seekers [and] support them,' she ranted. 'You can't imagine how well I know then them – extremely well. And so, I've taken on a lot of the young people, a ton of them.' 'These are young guys. They're pretty lost' about what taxpayer-funded health benefits they qualify for, Brewer added. 'I'm really concerned about their health.' Critics said the longtime pol is more concerned with illegal migrants' pearly whites than the needs of her own district. 'This is another example of misplaced priorities from Gale Brewer,' said longtime Upper West Side activist Maria Danzilo. 'It's unfortunate that Gale feels migrants' dental problems are more important that the needs of her own constituents in the community. 'What is she doing about the healthcare needs of her community? Plenty of New Yorkers also lack medical coverage.' Morse said her agency would work with the city's hospital system to expand education to migrants about free healthcare services through the 'NYC Care' program. All city hospitals – both public and private – are required by law to treat emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. Migrants who've applied for political asylum are also eligible for Medicaid benefits. Minors, seniors, and pregnant women are eligible for free health care regardless of their immigrant status. The Health Department declined to comment when asked if Brewer could've saved herself some cash by directing migrants with dental issues to city hospitals or health centers. This isn't the first time during hearings over the next fiscal year's budget where Brewer's gone off on a wild tangent. She told Department of Correction honchos during a March hearing that the food menu offered on Rikers Island is so bad it makes her sick to her stomach. Brewer then proclaimed she wanted the city to feed jailbirds 'farm-to-table' meals, like ones served up at some of the Big Apple's top Michelin-starred restaurants.
Medscape
3 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
Language Service Cutbacks Raise Fear of Medical Errors
SAN FRANCISCO — Health nonprofits and medical interpreters warn that federal cuts have eliminated dozens of positions in California for community workers who help non-English speakers sign up for insurance coverage and navigate the health care system. At the same time, people with limited English proficiency have scaled back their requests for language services, which health care advocates attribute in part to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and his executive order declaring English as the national language. Such policy and funding changes could leave some without lifesaving care, particularly children and seniors. 'People are going to have a hard time accessing benefits they're entitled to and need to live independently,' said Carol Wong, a senior rights attorney for Justice in Aging, a national advocacy group. Nearly 69 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English, and 26 million of them speak English less than 'very well,' according to the most recent U.S. Census data available, from 2023. A KFF-Los Angeles Times survey from that year found that immigrants with limited English proficiency reported more barriers accessing health care and worse health than English-proficient immigrants. Health advocates fear that, without adequate support, millions of people in the U.S. with limited English proficiency will be more likely to experience medical errors, misdiagnosis, neglect, and other adverse outcomes. During the start of the pandemic in 2020, ProPublica reported that a woman with coronavirus symptoms died in Brooklyn after missing out on timely treatment because emergency room staffers could not communicate with her in Hungarian. And, at the height of the crisis, The Virginian-Pilot first reported that a Spanish translation on a state website erroneously stated that the covid-19 vaccine was not necessary. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order aimed at improving access to federal services for people with limited English proficiency. Research shows language assistance results in higher patient satisfaction, as well as fewer medical errors, misdiagnoses, and adverse health outcomes. Language services also save the health care system money by reducing hospital stays and readmissions. Trump's order repealed Clinton's directive and left it up to each federal agency to decide whether to maintain or adopt a new language policy. Some have already scaled back: The Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration reportedly reduced language services, and the Justice Department says it is reviewing guidance materials. A link to its language plan is broken. It's unclear what the Department of Health and Human Services intends to do. HHS did not respond to questions from KFF Health News. An HHS plan implemented under President Joe Biden, including guidance during public health emergencies and disasters, has been archived, meaning it may not reflect current policies. However, HHS's Office for Civil Rights still informs patients of their right to language assistance services when they pick up a prescription, apply for a health insurance plan, or visit a doctor. And the office added protections in July that prohibit health providers from using untrained staff, family members, or children to provide interpretation during medical visits. It also required that translation of sensitive information using artificial intelligence be reviewed by a qualified human translator for accuracy. Those safeguards could be undone by the Trump administration, said Mara Youdelman, a managing director at the National Health Law Program, a national legal and health policy advocacy organization. 'There's a process that needs to be followed,' she said, about making changes with public input. 'I would strongly urge them to consider the dire consequences when people don't have effective communication.' Even if the federal government ultimately doesn't offer language services for the public, Youdelman said, hospitals and health providers are required to provide language assistance at no charge to patients. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin, protections that extend to language. And the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which expanded health coverage for millions of Americans and adopted numerous consumer protections, requires health providers receiving federal funds to make language services, including translation and interpretation, available. 'English can be the official language and people still have a right to get language services when they go to access health care,' Youdelman said. 'Nothing in the executive order changed the actual law.' Insurers still need to include multi-language taglines in their correspondence to enrollees explaining how they can access language services. And health facilities must post visible notices informing patients about language assistance services and guarantee certified and qualified interpreters. State and local governments could broaden their own language access requirements. A few states have taken such actions in recent years, and California state lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish a language access director, mandate human review of AI translations, and improve surveys assessing language needs. 'With increasing uncertainty at the federal level, state and local access laws and policies are even more consequential,' said Jake Hofstetter, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. The Los Angeles Department of Public Health and San Francisco's Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrants Affairs said their language services have not been affected by Trump's executive order or federal funding cuts. Demand, however, has dropped. Aurora Pedro of Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo, one of the few medical interpreters in Los Angeles who speaks Akatek and Qʼanjobʼal, Mayan languages from Guatemala, said she has received fewer calls for her services since Trump took office. And other pockets of California have reduced language services because of the federal funding cuts. Hernán Treviño, a spokesperson for the Fresno County Department of Public Health, said the county cut the number of community health workers by more than half, from 49 to 20 positions. That reduced the availability of on-the-ground navigators who speak Spanish, Hmong, or Indigenous languages from Latin America and help immigrants enroll in health plans and schedule routine screenings. Treviño said staffers are still available to support residents in Spanish, Hmong, Lao, and Punjabi at county offices. A free phone line is also available to help residents access services in their preferred language. Mary Anne Foo, executive director of the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, said the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration froze $394,000 left in a two-year contract to improve mental health services. As a result, the alliance is planning to let go 27 of its 62 bilingual therapists, psychiatrists, and case managers. The organization serves more than 80,000 patients who speak over 20 languages. 'We can only keep them through June 30,' Foo said. 'We're still trying to figure it out — if we can cover people.'
Forbes
3 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Immigrants Benefit Their Host Country While Seeking Better Lives
Refugee mature woman protesting in the street getty Pakistan, Peru, Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Albania, Ecuador, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Ukraine, India, Philippines, El Salvador. Korea, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Poland. Keep the names of those 18 countries in mind as I tell you this back story. Two weeks ago, I fell and broke my hip. If you've never broken a hip, let me give you a piece of advice. Don't. Anyway, after a luxury limo trip (translation: ambulance) to the ER that night and hip replacement surgery the next day, I was transported to a rehabilitation facility for what would turn out to be two weeks of intensive, rigorous therapy. This rehabilitation institute has a well-deserved reputation for being the best of the best, elite in their service and outcomes. It's where you want to be if you have to be where you don't want to be. I'll be going home in two days and I'm confident all will be well. Which leads us to why I write today. And here it is. It was those 18 countries from which people who cared for me came to the United States. They were doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, aides, imaging techs, phlebotomists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, food service workers, and transport personnel. They treated me, fed me, held me, dressed me, cleaned me, and encouraged me. And they were immigrants, all doing their jobs so well and with such love, honor, and gratitude that it was plain to see why and how this institute is so very good at what they do. Perhaps they were not quite the destitute people to which Emma Lazarus referred in her immortal poem The New Colossus. Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries sheWith silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!' But I'll bet some were. And while they all came here for a better life – the most commonly-recited mantra of the immigrant and, at the same time, the one most resented by anti-immigrants – in the process, they made my life better, too, especially in these last two dynamic weeks. That's what you call a fine example of symbiosis: interaction between two parties that works to the advantage of both. I assume you know this verse of Lazarus' poem is on a tablet held by the Statue of Liberty, for all to see. It is the most generous invitation ever extended on this earth, and my father accepted it in 1929, my mother's parents about 35 years earlier, Albert Einstein in 1933. And so did the people of this story. Yet anti-immigrant sentiment and action continues to proliferate around the world, and one just crossed my desk, sent by an associate who monitors these things. Said the author, 'America should take that poem off the Statue of Liberty but keep Lady Liberty.' That sentiment is not new. While the poem was heralded by John F. Kennedy in his book book A Nation of Immigrants (1958), it got quite the opposite reaction in 2019, during the first Trump administration. Ken Cuccinelli, Trump's acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, revised a line from the poem in support of the administration's 'public charge rule' which would have rejected would-be immigrants who lacked the wherewithal to support themselves. Cuccinelli suggested rewriting the caveat as, "Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet, and who will not become a public charge." He later suggested that the "huddled masses" should be European, and he downplayed the poem as "not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty." The Trump administration rule was later blocked by a federal appeals court. Perhaps a two-week stay in a hospital or rehab facility – with plenty of time to watch and think – would answer this big question: Tell me again; what, exactly, is wrong with immigration?
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Baltimore mayor calls city "welcoming" after it was declared a sanctuary jurisdiction
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott defended the city after the Trump administration called it and the entire state a sanctuary jurisdiction. The administration claims that Baltimore City, along with nine other Maryland cities, eight counties, and the state, interferes with federal immigration law enforcement. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the jurisdictions listed in Maryland "protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril." "To be clear: by definition, Baltimore is not a sanctuary city, because we do not have jurisdiction over our jails," Mayor Scott responded. "We follow our limited obligations as defined under federal immigration law." The Maryland cities and counties listed as sanctuary jurisdictions include: Cities Baltimore City Annapolis Cheverly College Park Edmonston Greenbelt Hyattsville Mount Rainier Rockville Tacoma Park Counties Anne Arundel Baltimore Charles Howard Montgomery Prince George's Queen Anne's Talbot DHS threatened each of the sanctuary jurisdictions with formal notification of its non-compliance with federal statutes. "Sanctuary jurisdictions, including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws, endanger American communities," DHS said in a statement. "Better because of our immigrant neighbors" In a response, Mayor Scott said Baltimore is "a welcoming city" for immigrants. "We make no apologies for that," Mayor Scott said. "We are better because of our immigrant neighbors, and we are not about to sell them out to this administration." in June 2024, Scott signed a bill that made the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) a permanent department in the city's government. Mayor Scott said the goal of MIMA is to provide services and resources for immigrants in Baltimore. He said Baltimore City ranked fifth in the country in 2021 for immigrant integration. "Baltimore remains committed to protecting the rights, dignity, and well-being of all of our residents," Mayor Scott said. "We are exploring all options to protect our immigrant neighbors and the funding appropriated to our City by Congress, including litigation."
