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The Trump administration has issued new guidance directing US visa officers to reject foreigners seeking to live in the United States if they have certain medical conditions, including diabetes or obesity, CBS News reported.
The directive, sent by the US State Department to embassies and consulates on Thursday and reviewed by KFF Health News, instructs officials to consider applicants ineligible if their health conditions or age could make them a potential "public charge", meaning someone who might rely on public benefits or become a financial burden on the US. "You must consider an applicant's health," the advisory reads. "Certain medical conditions, including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions, can require hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of care, " CBS News reported. The guidance expands the list of health factors used in assessing visa applicants, giving visa officers greater authority to reject people based on their medical status. Experts said this marks a significant shift from earlier practices, which mainly focused on communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and vaccination records. According to the directive issued to embassies, visa officers are also encouraged to consider obesity, which can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure, when determining whether an immigrant could become a public charge. "All of these can require expensive, long-term care," it states. About 10 per cent of the world's population has diabetes, while cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally. The guidance also directs visa officers to assess an applicant's ability to pay for medical treatment. "Does the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalisation at government expense?" it reads. A State Department spokesperson has not yet commented on the directive. The new rules also allow officers to consider the health of an applicant's family members. "Do any of the dependents have disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or other special needs and require care such that the applicant cannot maintain employment?" the state department directive reads, as per CBS News (ANI)
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