Advocates said their clients will likely forego seeking primary care and specialists for health care needs. More than 60% of recently arrived refugees with health insurance have Medicaid health care coverage, according to federal data.
Melissa Coulston, partnership coordinator for Kentucky Refugee Ministries in Lexington, said they have been invited to make a life in the U.S., and it is important to help them succeed.
"Many of them have been through a lot of trauma, have injuries and disabilities from what they've been through," Coulston pointed out. "They have some complex needs sometimes and we want them to be able to participate in our society to the best of their abilities."
President Donald Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" removes refugees and asylees from the definition of “qualified immigrants” beginning Oct. 1. The change will remove their access to Medicaid and CHIP benefits, Affordable Care Act subsidies and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Alyssa Rice, health services coordinator for Kentucky Refugee Ministries, said she expects local hospitals to bear the brunt of the new changes.
"Because they will be providing care in the emergency room to people who otherwise wouldn't be there and could get primary care from their own primary care provider," Rice explained. "It also means that they may never get reimbursed for all of those services."
The new changes are expected to result in around 100,000 individuals losing coverage by 2034 and to reduce federal spending by about $6 billion.
