Title: Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants | KFF
Headings: Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants
Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants
Introduction
Overview of Undocumented Immigrants
Health Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants
Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants
Current Issues
Topics
Tags

Content: Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants | KFF
Health Coverage and Care of Undocumented Immigrants
Samantha Artiga
Follow @SArtiga2 on Twitter
and Maria Diaz
Published: Jul 15, 2019
Issue Brief
Endnotes
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.