Sharon Touw is a researcher at the Institute for Community Health, in Malden, Massachusetts.
Grace McCormack is a PhD candidate in the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2021 Jul;40(7):1090-1098. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00059.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, essential workers have provided health care, food, and other necessities, often incurring considerable risk. At the pandemic's start, the federal government was in the process of tightening the "public charge" rule by adding nutrition and health benefits to the cash benefits that, if drawn, could subject immigrants to sanctions (for example, green card denial). Census Bureau data indicate that immigrants accounted for 13.6 percent of the population but 17.8 percent of essential workers in 2019. About 20.0 million immigrants held essential jobs, and more than one-third of these immigrants resided in US states bordering Mexico. Nationwide, 12.3 million essential workers and 18.9 million of their household members were at risk because of the new sanctions. The rule change (which was subsequently revoked) likely caused 2.1 million essential workers and household members to forgo Medicaid and 1.3 million to forgo Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistance on the eve of the pandemic, highlighting the potential of immigration policy changes to exacerbate health risks.
在美国 COVID-19 大流行期间，基本工人提供了医疗保健、食品和其他必需品，经常承担相当大的风险。在大流行开始时，联邦政府正着手收紧“公共负担”规定，将营养和健康福利纳入现金福利，如果领取，移民可能会受到制裁（例如，拒绝绿卡）。人口普查局的数据显示，2019 年移民占总人口的 13.6%，但占基本工人的 17.8%。大约 2000 万移民从事基本工作，其中超过三分之一的移民居住在美国与墨西哥接壤的州。在全国范围内，由于新的制裁措施，有 1230 万基本工人及其家庭成员面临风险。这项规则的改变（随后被撤销）可能导致 210 万基本工人及其家庭成员在大流行前夕放弃医疗补助，130 万人放弃补充营养援助计划的援助，突显了移民政策变化可能加剧健康风险。
