Fear, uncertainty grip immigrant families navigating social services
| Immigrant families from across the five boroughs are deprioritizing their health due to fear and uncertainty surrounding federal benefits like Medicaid and SNAP for fear of endangering their immigration status in the United States. That’s according to a new community brief released on January 22 by the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF). Titled “Restoring Trust, Protecting Health: Policy Actions to Support Immigrant Communities in Crisis”, the brief details the chilling effect the deliberate uncertainty created by recent federal changes to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the ACA insurance marketplace has had on NYC immigrants— a population that includes green card holders, asylum seekers, and the undocumented. The brief also uplifts the work the nonprofit organizations that are part of the City Council-funded Access Health NYC initiative are doing to ensure to combat this mistrust while also ensuring vulnerable New Yorkers are getting the health care they need. “No one should be fearful of the consequences of accessing medical care or putting food on their tables. The chilling effect we’re currently observing in our communities is troublingly reminiscent of the disenrollment trends we saw in 2017, when pregnant people and parents with young children were risking going without essential care because they feared harming their immigration status,” said CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin must make intentional investments to combat this disenrollment by funding the community-based organizations tirelessly working to ensure our communities have accurate, linguistically accessible health information and services.” The new brief finds the chilling effect on immigrant care causes the following: –Immigrant community members are increasingly afraid to seek healthcare, benefits, and services — even from trusted community-based organizations. –Language barriers and lack of accessible information have fueled confusion and mistrust in immigrant populations. –Poorly communicated policy changes, a lack of awareness of Medicaid mandates and the impacts of changing eligibility all contribute to the chilling effect described in our brief. The community-based organizations (CBOs) that make up our Access Health NYC awardees are combatting this harmful chilling effect by: –Adapting their outreach strategies and messaging to meet the evolving needs of their communities. –Acting as trusted navigators, educators, and advocates for immigrant New Yorkers Providing affordable and culturally/linguistically accessible mental healthcare. –Connecting immigrants to legal and healthcare resources. To download the full brief, head here. To be connected with a member of CACF’s Health Policy Team, email CACF’s Senior Communications Coordinator Lakshmi Gandhi at lgandhi@cacf.org – www.cacf.org |
