APIAHF

WASHINGTON—Today, the new Final Rule on Public Charge goes into effect. This follows the Biden-Harris Administration’s end to defending the 2019 Public Charge Final Rule in March 2021 and the issuance of a new rule on public charge in September 2022. The new rule allows immigrants and their families to access Medicaid and other non-cash public benefits without repercussions to their immigration status.

Juliet K. Choi, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), released the following statement:

“The 2019 public charge rule severely impacted the health of AA and NHPI communities when certain immigrants were denied access to Medicaid and other essential benefits as we battled an unprecedented pandemic and economic crisis. While the chilling effects of the past rule are still being felt, we applaud the Biden-Harris Administration and the Department of Homeland Security for issuing a new public charge final rule.

“APIAHF is proud to be part of a community of leaders and advocates who worked to restore access to public benefits to our communities. The aim now is to ensure that community members will access healthcare and other benefits they are entitled to without fear. We call upon the Biden-Harris Administration to lead these community outreach and education efforts.”

APIAHF partnered with the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition to translate community education materials on public charge in several Asian languages for communities with the highest likely impact from public charge, including: Bengali, Chinese, Dari, Gujarati, Korean, Panjabi, Pashto, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Urdu. APIAHF will continue to work with PIF in the upcoming year to update and distribute community education materials. APIAHF is a proud member of the PIF Coalition and sits on its Executive Committee.

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The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) influences policy, mobilizes communities and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.