A new policy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has sparked concern among some healthcare providers and undocumented community members in Santa Barbara County.
The rule reclassifies community health clinics as providers of “federal public benefits,” which could impact the eligibility of undocumented patients seeking care.
One undocumented woman in Santa Maria, who asked to remain anonymous, told KSBY News she’s already hesitant to attend medical appointments.
“Well, yes, yes, I do. We’re very afraid of going to the children’s appointments, and our own, because of everything that’s happening. You can’t go out feeling safe anymore because it’s scary. Anything could happen to us,” she said in Spanish.
She added that she has taken steps to avoid potential encounters by rescheduling some of her family’s appointments.
“Yes, yes, I’ve changed appointments. The ones I had most recently, I moved to later times—just for the same reason, because it’s more common to see [ICE] out in the morning.”
She also voiced concern over what the new policy could mean for her children’s access to care.
“Well, I feel more than anything, it’s about my children. My children need to go to their appointments and all of that. If they take that away, it’s going to be very difficult, and we’d have to look for other options—for them and for the whole family,” she said.
Under California law, community clinics are not allowed to deny care based on immigration status. However, the proposed federal change could alter how clinics that receive federal funding classify their services and patients.
Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, Santa Barbara County’s Health Officer, says the county is continuing to serve all patients, regardless of immigration status.
“We don’t ask about immigration status in any of our services and we will not be doing that. We’ve never had to and we won’t,” Hammami said.
He reiterated that the clinics’ mission remains unchanged.
“We are not changing any of the way we have been operating. This was, we needed to re-emphasize this because of the latest policy that was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on July 10, of not extending federal benefits to those that have an unsatisfactory immigration status."
He went on to add, “We never in the past asked for any proof of citizenship from anyone who come to our programs and specifically to our clinics, and we want to emphasize that we are not changing that for now. In the future, if we get clear direction from the federal government or from HHS to change that, then this is where we might be forced to do so.”
Concerns have also circulated about whether ICE has made any inquiries or attempted to access patient data. Dr. Hammami addressed that directly.
“While we [didn't] have any visits from any law enforcement agency or anyone that is enforcing immigration, we do know that since January, actually, we have seen a little bit [of a] drop in people that are coming through our clinics. We cannot attribute it directly to what is causing that,” he said.
Representative Salud Carbajal also commented on the policy change during a recent interview and expressed concern about its potential impact on both immigrants and the broader healthcare system.
“What we’re seeing is this administration, again, in a cruel way, assaulting immigrants. He’s trying to distract by doing this from the big, ugly bill that is taking away health care from 17 million Americans and he’s scapegoating immigrants again, trying to draw the attention to their health care,” Carbajal said.
He added that denying preventive care to undocumented individuals could lead to higher healthcare costs overall.
“Instead of getting basic care, health care for a minor thing, when it gets chronic, when things get infected and they wind up in the emergency room, it’s going to be 5 or 10 times more. And guess who pays for it? Insurance companies, everyday American citizens.”
He also mentioned that limiting access to vaccinations and treatment for communicable diseases could present public health risks.
“They’re not going to be eligible to get basic vaccinations, TB vaccinations. Who do you think gets impacted when somebody has TB and they’re riding on a bus, going to a mall, at a park, and infect others? The general public does,” Carbajal said.
The anonymous woman in Santa Maria said she now avoids traveling alone to appointments and depends on others for transportation.
“Well, you just have to be careful and try to find someone who can take us, who can take us and wait with us right there, because you can’t do it like before where you go, get dropped off, and then leave.”
For now, Santa Barbara County officials say their clinics will continue to provide services to everyone, regardless of status. Public health leaders are urging patients not to cancel their appointments and to seek the care they need.
