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Controversial US Health Insurance Mandate Blocked Temporarily

Controversial US Health Insurance Mandate Blocked Temporarily

A federal judge in Oregon has temporarily blocked President Trump’s order to deny visas to immigrants without health insurance.

On October 4, 2019, a Presidential Proclamation suspended entry of immigrants into the US without approved health coverage or without the ability to pay for foreseeable medical issues within 30 days of entering the country.

The new rule would require anyone looking to move to the US to enrol in private insurance (such as a dependent on a family member’s health plan) or have the financial means to cover medical costs.

Immigrants without health insurance or who are unable to able to prove their financial ability to pay for medical care could be considered “financial burdens” to the US health care system and denied a visa, including those with ties to family members in the US.

The Proclamation stops short of defining the threshold for the new standard of affordability but subsidized plans purchased on the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges would no longer count as an eligible form of insurance. Low-income immigrants receiving premium subsidies to purchase health care would be disqualified from living in the country legally.

The new rule was expected to affect potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrant visa applicants, as the latest effort by President Trump to restrict immigrants’ ability to enter the US.

Non-citizen children of US citizens or refugees and immigrants who have won asylum would however be exempt from the new requirement.

Legal challenge ahead

The Proclamation was quickly met by a legal challenge brought by a coalition of civil rights organizations who condemned the new rule as “arbitrary, an ‘abuse of discretion’ and discriminatory”.

On November 3, 2019, the US District Court in Portland, Oregon, in Doe v Trump, issued a 28-day temporary restraining order (TRO) just before the Proclamation took effect.

Judge Michael H. Simon held there would be irreparable harm if the Proclamation took effect, and ruled to freeze the order until there had been a full determination of the merits.

The court will reconsider the matter later this month to determine whether to issue an injunction to continue to block the Proclamation while the case proceeds.

If you have any queries about the new rule and its potential to impact a US immigration application, speak to our US immigration specialists.

Last updated: January 14, 2020

By Nita Nicole Upadhye

Nita Nicole Upadhye is the Founder & Principal Attorney at NNU Immigration. A recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law, Nita successfully acts for corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, actors, and athletes from across the globe, providing expert guidance on all aspects of US visa and nationality applications, and talent mobility to the USA.

Need legal advice?

For specialist advice on your query, get in touch with our team of US immigration attorneys.​

Need legal advice?

For specialist advice on your query, get in touch with our team of US immigration attorneys.

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For specialist advice on a US immigration or nationality matter for your business, contact our US immigration attorneys. 

For specialist advice on a US immigration or nationality matter for your business, contact our US immigration attorneys.