US Immigrants Must Have Healthcare Insurance Upon Entering the States

President of the United States on Friday signed a proclamation ensuring the suspension of all immigrants who do not have a health insurance cover within 30 days of entering US or are not in a position to cover for their own healthcare expenses. The issued proclamation takes effect on November 3 and will have absolutely no effect on anyone’s eligibility for asylum or refugee status.

The cutting of legal and illegal immigration has been Trump’s centerpiece of his presidency. This proclamation seems to cite the very same provision of law which he had used in the year 2017, the travel ban, to block people from accessing the country. Later he had placed a ban on asylum seekers who had crossed into the country without authorization.

Last month, the Trump administration made plans to only allow 18,000 refugees to have settlement in the states in the 2020 fiscal year, which would rate as the lowest number in the history of the modern refugee program. Trump has since clarified that the suspension was only for the people who were trying to enter the United States using an immigrant visa. The document further highlighted the specific types of insurance which were considered approved. These included employer-sponsored plans and a Medicare program for the elderly. However, for individuals who are over the age of 18 years, the Medicaid program for the poor is not in any way approved.