BOISE, Idaho (AP) — As a measles outbreak spreads through other states, Idaho is ending publicly funded vaccinations for people living in the U.S. illegally.
A new law recently signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little will halt a variety of public benefits for those in the U.S. unlawfully, including communicable disease testing, prenatal and postnatal care for women, crisis counseling and some food assistance for children.
The Idaho law, which takes effect July 1, appears to be the first limiting public health benefits since President Donald Trump to enhance eligibility verification and ensure that public benefits aren’t going to ineligible immigrants. Similar measures have been proposed in several other states.
The restrictions on public benefits are part of a broader effort in Republican-led states to support Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Some states have denied driver's licenses, revoked in-state college tuition rates and for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. And since Trump took office, there's been more than a threefold increase in the number of state and local law enforcement agencies with agreements to .
Federal law has generally prohibited immigrants in the U.S. illegally from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits through programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for several decades. But there are some exceptions, such as for emergency medical care.
States have had the flexibility to provide some other benefits regardless of immigration status, either through federal options or by financing them solely with state dollars. Idaho is repealing some of those special carve outs from its state law.
Republican Sen. Phil Hart, one of the bill's sponsors, said state funding can still be used for emergency medical services regardless of someone’s legal residency, as well as for services provided to an infant born in the U.S. to a parent who is not lawfully in the country. But he said someone else will have to foot the bill for things like vaccinations or prenatal health care.
“It doesn’t prevent anybody from accessing any of these services. What it does do is prevent the state of Idaho from paying for those,†Hart said during a Senate debate last week.
But opponents contend that restricting preventative health care — particularly as a measles outbreak in Texas spreads to other states — will threaten Idaho’s overall health and undermine the state’s anti-abortion stance.
“We take a great deal of pride in being a pro-life state, and I share in that objective,†Republican state Sen. Jim Guthrie said during debate. “But in this case, the legislation denying prenatal care can compromise the lives of the preborn.â€
The new limits on public benefits also could dissuade some immigrants who are lawfully in the U.S. from going to health clinics or applying for services, said Valerie Lacarte, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C.
"Just asking for immigration status has a chilling effect on people’s participation,†Lacarte said Tuesday.
“You want as many people as possible to get vaccinated,†she said. But “if you start introducing restrictions, exceptions — just narrowing who is eligible – it is fairly common to see that it spreads confusion."
Some Idaho health care providers, such as Terry Reilly Health Services, are still grappling with how to apply the new law. The community health center in southwestern Idaho provides medical, dental and mental health services to low-income and uninsured people.
“We are just trying to determine how we can best provide services to our patients while staying within the law,†said Claudia Weathermon, the communications director for Terry Reilly Health Services.
The Idaho Foodbank, which administers two government food programs, said the vast majority of its food is either donated or purchased with donated money, which isn't affected by the new law.
“We will continue to serve anyone with an expressed need for food,†Idaho Foodbank President Randy Ford said.
Several industry and religious groups opposed the legislation, including the Food Producers of Idaho, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry, the Catholic Diocese and Mormon Women for Ethical Government. But the legislation was backed by the powerful Idaho Freedom Foundation, a right-wing political think tank and lobbying group.
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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
