July 2019 | Issue Brief Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants Samantha Artiga and Maria Diaz Key Takeaways Recently, many of the Democratic presidential candidates indicated support for expanding health coverage to undocumented immigrants. To help inform the implications of such an expansion, this brief provides an overview of current health coverage and care for undocumented immigrants. It shows: Undocumented immigrants are at high risk of being uninsured because they have limited access to coverage options. Their high uninsured rates reflect limited access to employer- sponsored insurance and eligibility restrictions that bar them from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces. Undocumented immigrants face barriers to accessing care due to their high uninsured rates. Many delay or go without needed care. Undocumented immigrants can obtain low-cost care through community health centers, but this care is often limited to preventive and primary care, leaving them with challenges in accessing specialty services. Under federal law, hospitals must screen and stabilize every patient who seeks emergency care, and Medicaid helps offset some of these costs for hospitals. Six states and DC use state-only funds to provide Medicaid coverage to income- eligible children regardless of immigration status, and California recently expanded coverage to young adults. Shifting immigration policies under the Trump administration are leading to substantially increased fears among the immigrant community. These fears are leading families to turn away from utilizing programs and services for themselves as well as their children, who are primarily U.S. born and may qualify for Medicaid and CHIP. The administration is pursuing additional changes to public charge policies that may lead to even larger decreases in Medicaid and CHIP participation among lawfully present immigrants and citizen children of immigrants. Declines in coverage for families would increase barriers to care and financial instability, negatively affecting the growth and healthy development of their children. Democratic candidates have not offered any specific proposal for covering undocumented immigrants. The impact and costs of this coverage would depend on the details of how individuals would be covered and what their premiums and out-of-pocket costs would be.
Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants
Aug 03, 2023
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