NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana enacted legislation requiring the Louisiana Department of Health to verify the U.S. citizenship of Medicaid applicants. The law mandates the termination of Medicaid coverage for individuals who provide unsatisfactory proof of immigration status. The department must also report applicants with unsatisfactory proof of status to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
State Representative Chance Keith Henry, a Republican, sponsored the legislation. Henry said, "This is making sure that American citizens and our taxpayers are taken care of and not illegal immigrants." During a May 2025 legislative debate, Henry said that children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status would continue to receive Medicaid.
Eight immigrant families in one week were denied Medicaid after applying for children who are U.S. citizens, according to Miriam Romero, a health coordinator for Familias Unidas en Acción. Romero said in Spanish, "Because of the law that passed in Louisiana, children are losing their Medicaid every day." She added, "The more time that goes by, the more children are impacted by it."
By February 2026, the state terminated Medicaid coverage for 87 percent of enrollees who had an unverified immigration or citizenship status as of June 2025. The department's first annual update on the law does not contain data on applicants reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since the law took effect in August 2025.
Yolibeth, a single mother, has been waiting for months for decisions on her U.S.-born children's Medicaid renewal applications. Her three children, ages 4, 9, and 13, are U.S. citizens. Her two oldest children, ages 15 and 17, and Yolibeth do not have legal immigration status.
Aaron Moseley-Saldívar, a legal and public policy adviser with the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants, said some individuals are avoiding applying for benefits. Moseley-Saldívar said, "People are not applying for things that they probably otherwise would be eligible for, because they are intimidated by these laws and they're worried that they're going to get caught up in the system." He also stated, "You have a large amount of people in Louisiana that are not leaving their homes at all, because they're afraid of policies like this."
In late 2025, more than 600 people lined up outside a health fair hosted by the organization. Previously, the Louisiana Legislature passed a bill on May 27, 2024, intended to further restrict public benefit eligibility for noncitizens in the state. North Carolina, Wyoming, Indiana, and Tennessee have enacted similar legislation.