Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
@drishp.bsky.social
1.1K followers 190 following 75 posts
Associate Director, Racial Equity & Health Policy; Director, Immigrant Health Policy @KFF.org PhD from George Washington University MPH from Emory University BS from The Ohio State University
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drishp.bsky.social
👋Hi! I'm Drishti Pillai, Associate Director of Racial and Equity & Health Policy and Director of Immigrant Health Policy @kff.org
My areas of expertise include #immigration #immigranthealth #racialequity #disparities #healthcare #healthcoverage
Follow for KFF's latest work on these topics and more!
drishp.bsky.social
There have been a number of congressional and administrative actions undertaken by the Trump administration that are going to impact health coverage and care for immigrant families across America. New piece by @kff.org discusses all the changes in one place

www.kff.org/immigrant-he...
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
drishp.bsky.social
Hi Rachel, I don't think I'm able to message you here due to some privacy settings. Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] to discuss further!
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
kff.org
KFF @kff.org · 6d
⚡ KFF’s Drishti Pillai explains that despite claims in Washington, rolling back “Big Beautiful Bill” health provisions wouldn’t provide federally funded coverage to undocumented immigrants — as they long haven’t been eligible under federal law. #QuickTake https://on.kff.org/46wj9SM
KFF graphic featuring a quote from Drishti Pillai, KFF Associate Director, Racial Equity & Health Policy; Director, Immigrant Health Policy. It says, “Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded health coverage. The GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill didn’t change that. Overturning the health care provisions in the law won’t either.”
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
larrylevitt.bsky.social
It's striking that the primary Republican talking point against the Democratic proposal to restore Medicaid and ACA cuts is that it would give health care to undocumented immigrants, which isn't true. There isn't a broader defense of the cuts.
drishp.bsky.social
Spending on Emergency Medicaid accounted for less than 1% of overall Medicaid spending in FY 2023 www.kff.org/racial-equit...
Research also shows that noncitizens are less likely to use ER care than U.S.-born citizens pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

@kff.org
atrupar.com
Vance: "If you're an American citizen & you've been to the hospital in the last few years, you've probably noticed wait times are especially large & very often somebody who's there in the ER is an illegal alien. Why do those people get healthcare benefits at hospitals paid for by American citizens?"
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
drishp.bsky.social
Undocumented immigrants, under longstanding policy, have been and continue to be ineligible for federally funded health coverage. Medicaid, ACA, and Medicare eligibility cuts in H.R. 1 apply to lawfully present immigrants.
larrylevitt.bsky.social
Democrats are pushing to reverse Medicaid and ACA cuts. Contrary to Republican talking points, that would not in any way expand health care eligibility for undocumented immigrants.
drishp.bsky.social
Undocumented immigrants, under longstanding policy, have been and continue to be ineligible for federally funded health coverage. Medicaid, ACA, and Medicare eligibility cuts in H.R. 1 apply to lawfully present immigrants.
larrylevitt.bsky.social
Democrats are pushing to reverse Medicaid and ACA cuts. Contrary to Republican talking points, that would not in any way expand health care eligibility for undocumented immigrants.
drishp.bsky.social
Provisions in H.R. 1 will end health coverage eligibility for many lawfully present immigrants, leading to 1.4 million more uninsured as of 2034 per the CBO. Undocumented immigrants are already ineligible for federally funded health coverage and thereby not impacted directly by the new law @kff.org
Groups of lawfully present immigrants who will no longer be eligible for federal health coverage under 2025 tax and budget law
drishp.bsky.social
According to estimates by the CBO, 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants are expected to lose health coverage due to the reconciliation bill by 2034.
This includes refugees, asylees, survivors of abuse, people on work visas, individuals with TPS, among others @kff.org

www.kff.org/immigrant-he...
Groups of immigrants expected to lose health coverage under the tax and budget law
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
luckytran.com
The Virginia Department of Health has issued a standing order so that people can get the COVID vaccine without a prescription.

You can print out the order here: www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uplo...
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
larrylevitt.bsky.social
The Trump administration announces it is making "affordable" ACA plans available to certain groups of people, including those who lose eligibility for tax credits slated to expire at the end of the year.

These plans have lower premiums, but deductibles of over $10,000.
www.cms.gov/newsroom/pre...
drishp.bsky.social
Immigrants play an outsized role as physicians and surgeons across the U.S., including in rural areas. Significant drops in the arrival of international students at U.S. universities could negatively impact the health care workforce in the long run, both overall and in rural areas. @kff.org
drishp.bsky.social
"police are operating under the theory that he (suspected shooter) was either sick or believed that he was sick and blamed the illness on the Covid-19 vaccine"
drishp.bsky.social
My heart goes out to my wonderful Emory community 😢💙💛
Reposted by Drishti Pillai, PhD, MPH
shannonschumacher.bsky.social
NEW from @kff.org: Just over half (55%) of adults say they use social media to find health info + advice, including larger shares of younger, Black, and Hispanic adults. But across all social media platforms, a majority of users say they don’t trust the health info they see.
Bar chart showing trust in health information and advice across social media platforms
drishp.bsky.social
New @kff.org resource lets you search for implementation dates for health coverage provisions in the recently passed budget reconciliation bill and filter by key topics and groups such as provisions directly related to immigrant eligibility for health coverage programs.

www.kff.org/implementati...
drishp.bsky.social
I had such a wonderful time attending and presenting at the NALEO annual conference in Atlanta! I got to share @kff.org data on key issues impacting Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. and also learn from other experts and community leaders about their areas of expertise and focus.
drishp.bsky.social
New analysis by @kff.org finds that immigrants make up 3X the share of physicians and surgeons in rural America than their share of the rural population/total workforce (14% vs. 5%). They also play outsized roles in agriculture, construction, and service occupations.
www.kff.org/racial-equit...
What Role Do Immigrants Play in the Rural Workforce? | KFF
This data note examines the role that immigrants play in the rural workforce, particularly in industries disproportionately filled by immigrants, including health care, agriculture, construction, and ...
www.kff.org
drishp.bsky.social
"The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the conduit for federal funds to NPR and PBS, announced on Friday that it is beginning to wind down its operations given President Trump has signed a law clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting..."

www.npr.org/2025/08/01/n...
Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it's shutting down
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels federal money to public media stations, says it's winding down operations after President Trump signed a law rescinding all funding.
www.npr.org