For older immigrants and their families, the calendar is already counting down to a healthcare crisis that federal law has made certain.
On October 1, 2026 — just 100 days from the publication of this article — the federal eligibility rules for Medicaid will change in ways that eliminate coverage for hundreds of thousands of people who are in the United States lawfully and have done nothing wrong. On January 4, 2027 — three months after that — a parallel Medicare cut will take effect, removing coverage for current Medicare enrollees who do not meet the narrowed eligibility criteria.
