Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Initiatives >
      • PATCH
      • ECCHO WI
      • ECCOS
      • Wide Awake in Wisconsin
      • Policy Rx: Our Policy Vision
      • Wisconsin Women's Health Advocacy Summit
      • Health Professionals at the Forefront >
        • Unbiased Care in Women's Health
      • Women Win With the ACA
    • News
  • Take Action
    • Vote! >
      • Vote Early!
      • OutreachCircle
    • Census 2020
    • Know Your Legislators >
      • Meeting with Legislators
    • Media Advocacy
    • Policy Watch >
      • Peek at Policy Blog
      • Democracy & Accountability
      • 2021 Legislative Session Review >
        • Legislator Vote Record 2021-22
      • 2019 Legislative Session Review >
        • Legislator Vote Record
      • Executive Blueprint
      • Health Programs >
        • WI Well Woman Program
      • Economic Security >
        • Paid Family Medical Leave
      • Violence Against Women
      • Reproductive Health >
        • Post Roe Abortion Access
        • SCOTUS
        • Truth
        • Timeline of Reproductive Health Threats in WI
        • RESPECT Women Act
        • "Personhood"
        • Pelvic Exam Consent
      • Maternal & Child Health >
        • Momnibus Act
        • Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Expansion
        • Black MCH Justice
        • Healthy Women Healthy Babies
        • Community Based Doulas
        • WI "Cocaine Mom" Law
        • Patient Privacy & Confidentiality
      • State Budget
      • Health Care Reform >
        • Medicaid Expansion
  • Resources
    • Health Care Coverage
    • Resources to be a White Warrior
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Public Charge Rule
    • Reproductive Justice
  • Connect
    • Events >
      • WI Women United for a Better Budget
      • Belly of the Beast Film Discussion
      • WI Women's Health Congress
  • Support Us
    • Why Support Us?
    • Donate >
      • Foster the Future
    • Shop & Support
    • Workplace Giving
    • Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
    • The Big Share
    • Day In My Shoes
  • #KindnessIsEverything
  • Shop
    • Kindness Is Everything Wholesale

Peek @ Policy Blog

The Facts About the "Public Charge" & Health Insurance for Immigrants

11/12/2019

0 Comments

 
wawh_public_charge_fact_sheet_11_19-3.pdf
File Size: 218 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

On October 11, 2019 judges stopped the new "public charge" rule from taking effect. This may change, but in the meantime, it it NOT in effect.

What is "public charge"?
When a person applies for a visa or green card, immigration officials may use the“public charge” test to determine if they are likely to need help paying for things like food, housing or health care in the future. Someone judged a “public charge” can be denied a visa or green card, unless they qualify for an exemption.

"Public charge" does NOT affect you if you live in the US and...
  • You are a lawful permanent resident (LPR) with a green card and you have not left the US for more than 6 months at a time
  • You are a US citizen
  • You are in the US as a refugee or asylee
  • You are in the US as a survivor of domestic violence, human trafficking, or other violent crimes (using T visa, U visa or VAWA self-petition)

If you are in one of these groups, you will NOT face a "public charge" test. You can enroll in any health plan without concern for public charge.


If you are NOT in one of the four groups listed on the front of this fact sheet, you may face the "public charge" test when you apply for a visa or green card.

What health care coverage may count against you in a "public charge" test?
The ONLY health insurance program that MAY count against you in a "public charge" test is regular Medicaid, known as BadgerCare in Wisconsin.

Which Medicaid program will NOT count against you in a "pubic charge" test?
  • Emergency Medicaid
  • Medicaid benefits covered without federal
  • Medicaid for pregnant women
  • Medicaid for children under the age of 21

What are the OTHER health care programs that DO NOT count in a "public charge" test?
  • Premium tax credits (subsidies) for health plans sold on healthcare.gov
  • Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
  • Ryan White Program
  • Free or low-cost care at community health centers
  • School-based health programs


If you are concerned about "public charge", talk  to someone who can help you look at all your options. Got to ailalawyer.com to fina an immigration lawyer near you.


0 Comments

Gun Reform Special Session on 11/7/19

11/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Why is strong gun reform a high priority for WAWH? Gun violence is a women’s health issue and a domestic abuse issue. More than 50% of intimate partner homicide victims in American are killed by males with a gun, and in over 50% of mass shootings the victims were intimate partners or family members. [2] The presence of a gun in domestic violence situations can increase the risk of homicide for women by as much as 500 percent.[3] 


Gov. Tony Evers has called the legislature into special session November 7th to take up gun reform legislation.  The two bills to be taken up this week are bills that address Background Checks loopholes (AB 431) and Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO). 

As of 11/4/19, there have been 357 mass shootings, 32,991 people killed and 24,983 people injured by guns in our country this year [1]. These numbers include 589 children injured or killed age 11 and under, and 2,580 teens ages 12-17. As you read this, these numbers are already outdated, because with each passing day, they rise.
 
After each mass shooting, people express outrage, anger, sadness. A common theme echoes across social media platforms, the helplessness to make it stop. The attention quickly fades away, until the next major mass shooting - which we all know is coming, we just don’t know when or where.
 
It is well within the power of our state legislators change this cycle, but to date Wisconsin's Republican-led legislature has not engaged on gun reform despite polling on this issue showing that 80% of Wisconsin voters support universal background check legislation, including 75% of households that own a gun. However the gun lobby, in particular the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), has very deep pockets, and their priorities are not in line with the general public.
 
We need our legislators to listen to their constituents, the people who elected them to their positions, and pass laws that will reduce gun deaths and violence in Wisconsin. We need to make our schools, churches and public places safer. Governor Evers has made it clear that he supports meaningful gun reform and would sign good legislation into law. Public support is firmly behind smart measures to curb violence, including universal background checks.
 
Below is an outline of some of the strong gun reform legislation introduced in Wisconsin this session that WAWH supports.  Please contact your legislators to ask them to protect Wisconsin by supporting and ensuring these bills become law. This isn’t about political and partisanship, it is about saving lives.
 
Universal Background Checks:
Wisconsin’s needs to enact Universal Background Check legislation as it has been proven to save women’s lives. In states that have universal background checks, women are 46% less likely to be shot to death by intimate partners. A 2018 poll showed that the vast majority, a whopping  81% of Wisconsin voters are in favor of background checks, including 78% of gun-owning households[4].
 
Rep. Sargent and Sen. Johnson introduced AB431, a Universal Background Check bill that would close Wisconsin’s current loopholes. Currently a background check is not required when guns are purchased at a gun show or via a private seller. Governor Evers is strongly in support of this legislation, and would sign it into law if it passed the Assembly and Senate.  However, Republican leadership has been vocal about their unwillingness to engage despite such strong public support. Pressure needs to mount on this issue. Our legislators on both sides of the aisle need to make this a priority.

Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO):
Rep. Sargent and Sen. Taylor just introduced AB573/SB530, which would create an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) process where if a person is likely to injure themselves or another, a family member or law enforcement officer can petition to temporarily prevent the person from possessing a firearm. 

Red Flag Laws:
Assembly Bill 334, introduced in early July, would prohibit individuals convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from possessing a firearm and possession of a firearm by people found not guilty due to mental disease or defect. Given the documented nexus between domestic abuse and gun homicides, this legislation is crucial to protect lives.
 
48-Hour Waiting Period:
Senate Bill 312, introduced on June 7th (National Gun Violence Awareness Day), would restore Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases. Wisconsin had a waiting period on the books until 2015, when the Wisconsin legislature eliminated the requirement that a federally licensed firearm dealer wait 48 hours to transfer a handgun. Research has shown that waiting periods can reduce gun homicides by 17% and gun suicides by  7-11%. [5] Wisconsin needs this legislation restored.
 
We are not helpless. We have the power of our vote and must reach out to our elected officials to make our expectations crystal clear. Good legislation, aimed at reducing gun violence and deaths, is introduced each session just to be ignored and languish. Given what we know about gun violence, and the proven effectiveness of specific types of legislation, inaction by legislators equals complicity.
 
What you can do:​
  • Contact your state legislators 
  • Find out where they stand on gun reform and ask them to support these important bills
  • Ask them to ensure these bills receive public hearings and are brought to the floor for a vote
  • Let them know that gun reform is a priority to you, AS A VOTER IN THEIR DISTRICT.  
 
[1] https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6628a1.htm

[3] https://www.thehotline.org/resources/firearms-dv/

[4]https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2018/03/05/new-marquette-law-school-poll-finds-wisconsin-voters-divided-on-benefits-of-foxconn-deal-but-together-in-support-of-background-checks-for-gun-sales/

[5]https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/34372583/luca%2Cmalhotra%2Cpoliquin_handgun-waiting-periods.pdf?sequence=4


0 Comments

    Authors

    Sara Finger, Executive Director

    Archives

    May 2022
    October 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture

Quick links

PATCH
Summit
WhoRepresentsMe?
​#KindnessIsEverything

WAWH

About Us
Connect
Sign Up

Support US

Donate
GoodShop
AmazonSmile
WAWH Shop
Picture
Picture
Donate Now!
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Initiatives >
      • PATCH
      • ECCHO WI
      • ECCOS
      • Wide Awake in Wisconsin
      • Policy Rx: Our Policy Vision
      • Wisconsin Women's Health Advocacy Summit
      • Health Professionals at the Forefront >
        • Unbiased Care in Women's Health
      • Women Win With the ACA
    • News
  • Take Action
    • Vote! >
      • Vote Early!
      • OutreachCircle
    • Census 2020
    • Know Your Legislators >
      • Meeting with Legislators
    • Media Advocacy
    • Policy Watch >
      • Peek at Policy Blog
      • Democracy & Accountability
      • 2021 Legislative Session Review >
        • Legislator Vote Record 2021-22
      • 2019 Legislative Session Review >
        • Legislator Vote Record
      • Executive Blueprint
      • Health Programs >
        • WI Well Woman Program
      • Economic Security >
        • Paid Family Medical Leave
      • Violence Against Women
      • Reproductive Health >
        • Post Roe Abortion Access
        • SCOTUS
        • Truth
        • Timeline of Reproductive Health Threats in WI
        • RESPECT Women Act
        • "Personhood"
        • Pelvic Exam Consent
      • Maternal & Child Health >
        • Momnibus Act
        • Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Expansion
        • Black MCH Justice
        • Healthy Women Healthy Babies
        • Community Based Doulas
        • WI "Cocaine Mom" Law
        • Patient Privacy & Confidentiality
      • State Budget
      • Health Care Reform >
        • Medicaid Expansion
  • Resources
    • Health Care Coverage
    • Resources to be a White Warrior
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Public Charge Rule
    • Reproductive Justice
  • Connect
    • Events >
      • WI Women United for a Better Budget
      • Belly of the Beast Film Discussion
      • WI Women's Health Congress
  • Support Us
    • Why Support Us?
    • Donate >
      • Foster the Future
    • Shop & Support
    • Workplace Giving
    • Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
    • The Big Share
    • Day In My Shoes
  • #KindnessIsEverything
  • Shop
    • Kindness Is Everything Wholesale