A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from implementing a policy that would have obligated immigrants to obtain health insurance to qualify for visas.
United States District Court Judge Michael Simon, an appointee of President Barack Obama, issued the order Tuesday to stop the State Department from enforcing the measure, saying it violated federal immigration laws. Simon had temporarily blocked the rule this month.
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The White House signaled in a statement that it would appeal the decision, saying, “We look forward to defending the president’s lawful action.”
“Congress plainly provided the president with broad authority to impose additional restrictions or limitations on the entry of aliens into the United States,” said Stephanie Grisham, White House press secretary.
Under the policy, announced in October, immigrants would need to get health insurance within 30 days of entering the U.S. or would need to show they have enough money to cover medical costs before getting visas that could lead to green cards. The proclamation would not have applied to refugees or immigrants seeking asylum, nor to children.
Immigrants otherwise would have to show that they received private coverage through a job, directly from an insurer, through a short-term plan that is cheaper but offers less generous benefits, or through a family member. To meet the requirement, they would not be able to obtain tax subsidies through Obamacare that help them pay for premiums.
The proclamation targeted people who seek to arrive in the U.S. legally, because it said that lawful immigrants are three times more likely than citizens to be uninsured. The administration justified the policy on the basis that the government indirectly pays for the medical care of the uninsured by covering the cost of hospital care for people who can’t afford it.
