Can undocumented people get federally funded health insurance? What the law says

Some Republicans have claimed Democrats are shutting down the government because they want to give free health care to immigrants who are here illegally.

An ad from the National Republican Congressional Committee claims, “Democrats are grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement that “Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and every Democrat that follows them are fighting for health care for illegal aliens, Medicaid fraud, and taxpayer-funded sex changes.”

But undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible to enroll in any federally funded health coverage programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, or Medicare, or to purchase coverage through the ACA Marketplaces, according to Drishti Pillai, director of immigrant health policy at the health policy think tank KFF.

Pillai said under current law, subsidized ACA Marketplace coverage is only available to lawfully present immigrants with a “qualified” immigration status such as lawful permanent residents (LPRs or “green card” holders), refugees, asylees, survivors of trafficking and abuse with a pending or approved visa, and also to other groups of lawfully present immigrants such as those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and people on valid nonimmigrant visas.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” limits eligibility for subsidized Marketplace coverage to an even smaller group of lawfully present immigrants, including LPRs or “green card” holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and people residing in the U.S. under the Compact of Free Association. It strips health coverage away from several groups of lawfully present immigrants such as refugees, asylees, survivors of trafficking and abuse, and people on work visas, among others, Pillai said.

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