I'm a US citizen and I'm planning to sponsor my mother for permanent residency. She's in her late 60s and I'm hoping she'll be able to get onto my state's public health plan. However, if I recall correctly, legal permanent residents are not allowed to receive any form of public assistance (i.e. the "public charge" rule); in the event that they do, the government can require the person who signed the affidavit of support to pay back any benefits received. In practice, then, this would seem to suggest that the only healthcare route for legal permanent residents is private health insurance, or a health plan offered by an employer, neither of which is possible in my mother's case.
So basically my question is: if I sign the affidavit and she somehow gets onto the state health plan, am I on the hook for any health benefits she receives? Or is there perhaps an exception to the public charge rule for people in her situation, i.e. a senior who cannot afford private health insurance?
Thanks in advance for any light you can shine on this one!

