Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that will force all immigrants entering the United States to show proof they can afford medical insurance before receiving a visa.
The proclamation will only apply to new immigrants. Those currently living legally in the United States will not see any changes, nor will asylum seekers, refugees, or children. But, those trying to bring their families to the US will face challenges.
According to the Los Angeles Times: The proclamation says immigrants will be barred from entering the country unless they are to be covered by health insurance within 30 days of entering or have enough financial resources to pay for any medical costs. The measure will be effective Nov. 3.
The Trump administration is trying to move away from a family-based immigration system and into a merit-based system, and Friday’s proclamation is another effort to limit immigrant access to public programs.
Immigrants seeking a visa cannot rely on the ACA’s subsidies when purchasing medical insurance either because the federal government pays for those subsidies.
In other words, if people from other countries wants to immigrate to the United States, they better have some cash and ignore that whole “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” That stuff no longer exists in Trump’s America.
