CEO Statement on Public Charge Announcement

The Trump administration recently announced proposed changes to the long-standing “Public Charge” policy – a move that will adversely impact the health of the lawfully residing immigrants. The new restrictions will inevitably lead to more hunger, child poverty, homelessness and a wide array of unmet health needs, as families may be unwilling to seek and maintain health care coverage, or enroll in other important programs out of fear of the proposed Rule.   

At L.A. Care, we estimate more than 170,000* of our members will bear the brunt of the proposed changes, forcing them to choose between essential services like Medicaid, SNAP food benefits, housing assistance or getting green cards.

L.A. Care’s mission is to provide access to quality health care for Los Angeles County's vulnerable and low-income communities and residents, and that includes immigrants impacted by this proposed change.

We encourage our members to continue seeking regular medical care. The proposed changes are not final at this time.

We stand for all of L.A. and, as such, we will fight to protect the rights of our members who are residents and entitled to access these benefits.

---John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO

*Estimate based on publicly-available data. L.A. Care does not have access to members’ immigration status.