New Eligibility Restrictions Cut Refugees, Trafficking Victims From Medicaid
Federal eligibility restrictions that took effect October 1 stripped Medicaid coverage from certain legal immigrants, including refugees, asylum seekers, and trafficking and domestic violence survivors, while leaving green-card holders unaffected. The change stems from Medicaid provisions in the 2025 tax and policy law, with KFF estimating more than 281,000 immigrants across nine states and D.C. have lost coverage so far, including roughly 29,000 in Arizona and 177,000 in Florida. Additional Medicaid restrictions under the same law take effect in early 2026, and CBO projects 7.5 million people will lose coverage by 2034 as the federal government cuts an estimated $911 billion in Medicaid spending. Advocates warn affected individuals, including medically fragile patients dependent on home-based care, will lose access to lifesaving treatment and shift costs to emergency rooms and already-strained community health organizations.