Ben D’Avanzo
bendavanzo.bsky.social
Ben D’Avanzo
@bendavanzo.bsky.social
Advocate for health equity and economic justice for the National Immigration Law Center. Also neighborhood and housing issues as a hobby. Dad of 2 cute wild kids.
Just when families are struggling to afford long term care, workers are being fired due to the Trump administration’s willingness to hurt anyone and everyone to rid the country of immigrants www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/u...
July 19, 2025 at 11:36 AM
NYT gets it right at least
July 4, 2025 at 4:50 PM
No, it really doesn't do this.

If you're going to write a column downplaying people losing health coverage, is it too much to ask for some basic fact checking?
wapo.st/3Iek0Oc
July 4, 2025 at 1:57 PM
A reminder of how authorized immigrants are being redefined as "illegal": The Freedom Caucus claims Section 71109 of the reconciliation bill strips "illegal aliens" of Medicaid

But it is really legal refugees, asylum recipients, and survivors of trafficking and domestic violence losing health care
July 2, 2025 at 6:13 PM
These Democrats (and Republicans besides Collins) voted to cut the FMAP in 34 states that cover lawfully residing immigrant children by 10%
June 30, 2025 at 8:18 PM
All of these dark blue states, for example, cover children who aren't eligible for Medicaid because of their immigration status
June 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
And who are those immigrants? Undocumented people yes. But also others, because this means the people not qualified under the 1996 "welfare reform" law. So, it also means people with Temporary Protect Status, for example. Or DACA recipients.
June 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Or it is a state that provides comprehensive health benefits coverage to the same people

So basically, Specified States are those that provide health care or insurance to immigrants who can't be qualified for Medicaid
June 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
It can be a state that does one of two things. First, it can be a state that uses its own funds to help purchase health insurance immigrants that are not "qualified aliens" for the purposes of Medicaid eligibility, excepting lawfully present children and pregnant women
June 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The first part of this policy reduces the matching funds for all people (not just immigrants!) in certain states receiving funds under the Medicaid expansion, from 90% to 80%. This 10 percentage point change leads to billions of dollars less going to states.

But what is a Specified State?
June 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Republicans are going to talk a lot about 1.4 million immigrants losing health insurance. What an awful thing to brag about.

But as the Senate clerks read the bill, I hope they actually listen to what the relevant section does. Because it sets quite the precedent.
June 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reporters and Republicans keep falsely saying that the reconciliation bill bars immigrants from Medicaid. This is not true. It bars many legal immigrants and it cuts overall Medicaid funding for states that cover immigrants on state funded programs

@burgessev.bsky.social please be more accurate
June 26, 2025 at 10:04 PM
An Airbnb has 8 bedrooms, and then this is the dining area?
June 25, 2025 at 1:17 AM
This letter from House moderates explicitly calls out the Senate's cuts to Emergency Medicaid, which reimburses hospitals for care for immigrants' ineligible for Medicaid. With millions of immigrants losing health care under reconciliation, it's a significant blow to hospitals.
June 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
It is extremely frustrating that media outlets, like Punchbowl, accept the falsehood that undocumented immigrants get SNAP and Medicaid. It's authorized immigrants, like refugees, that are getting kicked off!
June 23, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Listen to Sabrina!
June 14, 2025 at 8:51 PM
I hope the fiscal hawks and small government types really take a look at the ICE funding, that, with no strings attached, increases its budget by a factor of 13
June 12, 2025 at 5:01 PM
What a photo wapo.st/4kIGFke
June 11, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The White House thinks that military troops marching down the streets of U.S. cities to squash protests is going to be popular. It isn't! today.yougov.com/topics/polit...
June 10, 2025 at 10:16 PM
It really won't
June 9, 2025 at 8:35 PM
It's interesting to contrast this lie about "illegals" and benefits from Miller with this update complaining about CBO from the architect of Medicaid cuts, Brian Blaise, who admits that there are no such savings but has to come up with contortions about provider taxes instead
June 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
This is a lie, folded in on itself to the point it's origami

-Undocumented people do not get federally funded Medicaid
-1.4 million will lose coverage as states are coerced to end programs they run without federal money
-The 1.4 number comes from the CBO which says 10+ million people lose coverage
June 4, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Because they don't actually get federal health care House Republicans are redefining "illegal immigrants" to include legal, vetted immigrants with refugee and asylum status.

Words have no meaning anymore
June 3, 2025 at 2:15 PM
People are going to find themselves with no one caring for their elderly parents thanks to the Trump administration’s focus on producing more undocumented immigrants www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
June 2, 2025 at 12:56 PM
They aren't
May 26, 2025 at 7:17 PM