Lost your Medicare Savings Program because of immigration status? What happens now in New York

Your status today is what counts, not the status you arrived with. Many people who came as refugees or asylees later got a green card. If that is you, bring your current card when you ask HRA or your county to check your case.

The state notice, GIS 26 MA/14, tells local offices what happens to people who already had MSP:

• MSP ended September 30, 2026 for people who do not meet the new immigration rule.
• If you had Medicaid and MSP, you move to Medicaid paid only by the state starting October 1, 2026. You keep Medicaid if you are otherwise eligible. You no longer have MSP.
• If you had MSP only, the case and the state's payment of your Part B premium (called Medicare Buy-In) end September 30, 2026. In New York City, the state expects fewer than 50 MSP-only cases to be affected.
• The state mails a notice to everyone losing MSP. Read it closely. It tells you the reason and your rights.

• Your Part B premium. The standard premium is $202.90 a month in 2026. Once MSP stops paying it, Social Security takes it out of your check again. The change can take a month or two to show up. If your check looks wrong, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.
• Doctor and hospital bills. QMB stopped providers from billing you for Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. That protection covers only the dates you had QMB. If you also have Medicaid, ask HRA, your county, or your plan how your Medicare cost sharing will be handled now.
• Extra Help with drug costs. Medicare says people who get Extra Help automatically keep it through December 31 of that year, even if their situation changes. After that you may need to apply with Social Security. Your drug plan or Social Security can tell you what applies to you.
• Medicare itself. That is a separate federal question, covered next.

A 2025 federal law (Public Law 119-21, often called H.R. 1, section 71201) limits Medicare itself to the same four groups. Medicare.gov already lists these groups as a condition for joining a Medicare health or drug plan, and its September 2026 fact sheet "Your Medicare in 2027: What's New & Changing" says you must be in one of them to get Part A and Part B. That fact sheet does not give dates for ending coverage.

• What New York's notice says: affected non-citizens who are enrolled in Medicare may keep Medicare coverage until the federal Medicare changes take effect on January 4, 2027.
• What CMS has proposed (not final): in the CY 2027 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule (CMS-1848-P, published July 16, 2026), Social Security would send a first notice, then a termination notice near the end of December 2026, with Medicare ending February 1, 2027. The notice would explain appeal rights.
• Status on October 6, 2026: the rule is still proposed. CMS has not published the final rule. Dates and steps can change when it does. We will update this page when the final rule comes out.

Until then, keep paying any Medicare premiums you owe and keep using your coverage.

1. Read the notice from the state, HRA, or your county. Find the reason, the date, and the deadline to ask for a fair hearing.
2. Check your current immigration document. If the notice is wrong (for example, you are a citizen, or a green-card holder past the 5-year wait), send copies of your proof and ask for a fair hearing. Our MSP denial and fair hearing guide walks through it. Never send originals.
3. Ask about immigration status questions for free. The New York State New Americans Hotline, 1-800-566-7636, answers immigration questions and refers people to free legal help, in more than 200 languages.
4. Ask about your Medicare choices for free. HIICAP, New York's free Medicare counseling program, is at 1-800-701-0501.
5. Watch your Social Security payment for the Part B premium coming back.
6. Look at your drug and health plan for 2027 during Medicare Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7. Our Open Enrollment guide explains the choices. Ask HIICAP first if your Medicare itself may end in 2027.

• Ignoring the notice. Fair hearing deadlines are short.
• Assuming every green card is enough. The 5-year wait matters for MSP.
• Dropping Medicaid out of fear. New York says people outside the four groups who are otherwise eligible keep Medicaid with state funding.
• Paying anyone who promises to restore MSP. No one can override the federal rule. Free help is available from HIICAP and legal aid.