Fewer immigrants are seeking Oregon health care benefits under Trump

By Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle

SALEM, Ore. -- Thousands fewer people are receiving health care through a Medicaid-like Oregon program that’s open to income-eligible people regardless of immigration status than were six months ago, state data shows.

Two years after its launch, the Healthier Oregon program reached peak enrollment of 107,000 people in June, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority. That includes people who have refugee status, lawful permanent residents, those enrolled in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, work or student visa holders and others who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if it weren’t for their immigration status. 

Enrollment dropped to 97,000 people in January, according to state health officials, who attributed the change to concerns about data privacy and increasing immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. 

“We’re seeing a real drop in enrollment in Healthier Oregon, likely due to all the federal changes and people being very concerned about signing up for Healthier Oregon,” OHA Deputy Director for Policy and Programs Dave Baden told lawmakers earlier this month. “And we’re also seeing less utilization, so even someone that is in Healthier Oregon is not coming to the doctor.”

Federal health officials in June began sharing Medicaid data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to track non-citizens in states where eligibility for the low-income health program does not depend on immigration status.

Oregon is one of five states in the U.S. that offers health care coverage for all income-eligible adults regardless of their immigration status, according to the health policy nonprofit KFF. Several other states offer similar programs to specific groups such as pregnant women, children and elderly adults.

State dollars cover most Healthier Oregon services, except for emergency health care visits, which are paid for with federal dollars.

Under federal law, hospitals must stabilize anyone needing emergency care — no matter their immigration status — and Medicaid must reimburse hospitals for this legally required care. This means that when a Healthier Oregon recipient uses an emergency service, their information is included in files shared with the federal government, OHA spokesperson Amy Bacher told the Capital Chronicle.

The data exchange prompted Oregon and 21 other states and the District of Columbia to file a lawsuit, asking a judge to block the Trump administration from sharing Medicaid data with deportation officials. A federal judge in December ruled that ICE can pull Medicaid data including addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and citizenship or immigration status to use in its deportation proceedings.

“From the state’s perspective, we will do everything we can to only share the data that we need to share,” Gov. Tina Kotek told reporters at a Saturday press conference. 

Federal immigration efforts impeding immigrants from seeking care

Nearly half of likely undocumented immigrant adults say they have avoided seeking medical care since January 2025 because of immigration-related concerns, according to a survey from the New York Times and KFF.

The Trump administration in January rescinded a policy that previously protected hospitals, schools and places of worship against immigration enforcement. 

ICE agents may access public spaces such as lobbies and waiting rooms without a warrant, but under the Constitution no law enforcement can enter places where a person has a “reasonable expectation of privacy” without a warrant — such as examination rooms, staff offices and patient rooms. Despite this protection, health care providers have reported cases of ICE agents entering medical exam rooms without a warrant.

Federal immigration agents have also appeared near hospitals in Oregon. On Jan. 8, a Border Patrol agent shot two Venezuelan immigrants near Adventist Health Portland. Then on Jan. 16, Border Patrol agents detained a 7-year-old girl and her parents in the same hospital’s parking lot before the family, who came to the U.S. in late 2024 from Venezuela, could seek health care for the child.

Kotek urged health care providers to communicate with Oregonians about providing safe health care for people.

“Because of the fear and the chaos that is being created by the Trump administration and the lawful immigration enforcement, people are scared,” Kotek said. “They’re not seeking the medical care that they need, and that is hurting our communities.”