Immigrant seniors to lose Medicare coverage despite paying for it

In January 2027, the U.S. government will cut 100,000 lawfully present immigrants from Medicare under the administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, despite their payments to Social Security and Medicare as part of their employment. The 2025 law prevents certain categories of lawfully present immigrants, including Temporary Protected Status holders, refugees, asylum-seekers, trafficking victims and people with work visas, from Medicare, even though they have legal status. Clinicians expect older adults who lose Medicare coverage will delay their care, leading to a greater number of severely sick patients presenting in emergency departments. Although data on lawfully present immigrants are unavailable, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says immigrants without legal status paid $6.4 billion into Medicare in 2022. (KFF News article, 4/7/26)