Medicaid under F-2 visa

[_Dmitry_ 0]

Hi all,

I moved to WA with my wife and son in Aug 2015 to study (2-year MBA program). I am on F-1 and my wife and son are on F-2 visas. We have recently (Jan 2017) found out that my wife is pregrant.

I will graduate in June 2017 and our student insurance will expire on Aug 31, 2017. This means that current insurance will cover prenatal services until Aug 31 and after that there will be no unsurance.

Given that we want to stay in the US for at least one more year under OPT, we applied to Medicaid in order to get help with baby delivery scheduled for early October 2017. 

I read tons of forums and sources regarding Medicaid for pregnant women who are lawfully present in the US but there is still a lot of confusion and uncertainty.

Will getting Medicaid for my pregnant wife (prenatal care and baby delivery) be considered a "public charge"? Will this impact our future status changes and CBP admission in case of re-entering the country?   

Thank you in advance! 

 

Edited February 24, 2017 by _Dmitry_

[Unlockable 7,306]

Some states allow emergency Medicaid for delivery of a child. However, there may be a restriction to Medicaid for prenatal care to a LPR mother. LPRs in most cases do not qualify for Medicaid until after a certain amount of years. Best to inquire with your state guidelines regarding the matter.

 

You may want to look into making payment arrangements with the hospital she is giving birth at.