Refugees, other lawful immigrants, lose Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1

Thousands of refugees and members of similarly vulnerable immigrant subgroups living in Ohio – all of whom are considered lawfully present in the U.S. – were deemed ineligible for health insurance through Medicaid on Oct. 1 (Source: “Thousands of refugees in Ohio lose Medicaid Oct. 1. The state can’t say how many,” Signal Ohio, Oct. 1). 
 
Exactly how many people will lose care is unclear.
 
The state said at least 3,500 immigrants will lose coverage, with another 3,000 possible. However, five of Ohio’s larger counties reached by Signal Statewide collectively pegged the number closer to 14,500 to 18,000, suggesting a higher statewide count. 
 
What’s far clearer is that thousands of residents, granted legal status in the U.S. because they fear persecution in their home countries, could be without health insurance as of Wednesday. 
 
The change in eligibility for these residents is one of the first tangible effects of the Medicaid cuts embedded in HR 1, the 2025 reconciliation bill commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Ohio is expected to lose an estimated $33 billion in federal Medicaid funds over the coming decade under the bill, mostly through new work reporting requirements, which will take effect next year. 
 
Late last year, HPIO released a data snapshot on access to care for immigrants in Ohio. Additional resources are available through HPIO’s Federal health policy impact on Ohio project.