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to thrive as they age

December 18, 2025

New Proposed Policy Changes Could Penalize Immigrant Medicaid Recipients

On November 25, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a notice in the Federal Register stating that they would begin sharing certain information with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its component agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Illinois has joined a lawsuit with 22 other states that is temporarily blocking this data sharing for customers residing in those states.

Additionally, The Department of Homeland Security has also proposed a public charge rule that will further penalize green card applicants who have applied for public benefits. Avisery encourages professionals to review the resources below for further information and/or available advocacy actions related to these recent Medicaid policy changes. Further questions can be directed to The Shriver Center’s HelpHub.

Resources:

• Shriver Center Fact Sheet for Enrollment Assisters on Data Privacy Protections for Medicaid in Illinois
• Protect Immigrant Families Public Charge Fact Sheet
• Protect Immigrant Families Public Charge Comment Template Toolkit (Note : Comments are due December 19th, 2026).

If you have questions or need help counseling older adults and adults with disabilities on Medicare, Medicaid, or other health benefits programs, reach out to Avisery's "Ask the Expert" service for professionals at

avisery@ageoptions.org or 708-628-3440

About Avisery

Avisery by AgeOptions provides tools and support to professionals serving older adults and people with disabilities, enabling them to help their clients access healthcare coverage that allows them to thrive as they age. 

Contact us at avisery@ageoptions.org or visit our website for more information.

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