US welfare reform law excludes Compact migrants from Medicaid (restored December 2020).

What happened

The 1996 welfare reform law dropped Compact citizens living in the US from Medicaid, a change Senator Mazie Hirono later called “inadvertent.” Hawaii covered them with state money until 2015, when it dropped able-bodied adults aged 18 to 64.

Why it matters

Medicaid was restored in December 2020, but Compact migrants still cannot get some housing and food assistance.