Title: Immigrant Eligibility for Health Care Programs in the United States
Headings: Immigrant Eligibility for Health Care Programs in the United States
Immigrant Eligibility for Health Care Programs in the United States
Medicaid
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Immigrants’ Access to Care
Health Reforms 2017
Additional Resources

Content: Immigrant Eligibility for Health Care Programs in the United States





Immigrant Eligibility for Health Care Programs in the United States
10/19/2017
Table of Contents
Medicaid
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Immigrant's Access to Care
Health Reforms 2017
Additional Resources
Contact
Immigration Program
National debates over health care reform and immigration reform contribute to a fair amount of confusion about who, in fact, is eligible for what. In general, permanent resident immigrants (green card holders) are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP after five years of residence on the same basis as U.S. citizens and must meet all other program requirements. Unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for federal health insurance programs, and are only eligible for more discrete programs like emergency medical assistance under Medicaid, services in federally qualified health centers and certain public health programs. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) program established marketplace health care benefits and extended eligibility to lawfully present immigrant populations. This issue brief attempts to lay out the main federal programs that offer health care coverage and services to low income populations, including legal permanent immigrants, temporary immigrants, humanitarian immigrants and unauthorized immigrant populations residing in the United States. Medicaid
Medicaid, established in 1965, is a federal- and state-funded insurance program offered to low-income individuals. Prior to the establishment of the ACA, to qualify for Medicaid an individual had to meet financial criteria and fall into a category that is eligible for the program, including children, parents of dependent children, pregnant women, people with disabilities and the elderly. Federal law set the minimum requirements for eligibility and benefits. However, states had the authority to extend Medicaid beyond these minimum standards using their own funds, leading to variations in Medicaid coverage throughout the states. The ACA allowed states to use federal money to cover all individuals up to 138 percent of the FPL, regardless of whether they fit into one of the categories.