Do I qualify for health insurance?

The U.S. health care system is hard enough to navigate if you’re from here. If you’re not, it can feel overwhelming and intimidating — financially and in terms of safety and privacy. But both the mayor and the governor have called health care a human right, and Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois all offer some access to health care regardless of immigration status.Emergency Health Care: What Are My Rights?If you need urgent medical care you have the right to go to a hospital emergency room, no matter your immigration or insurance status.Luvia Quiñones, the Senior Health Policy Director at the , explained the health rights that newly arrived immigrants have.“First of all, for people to know that they have a right to go to the hospital emergency room, regardless of immigration or insurance status. Secondly is, they have the right to ask for an interpreter in their language,” she said. “And then you have the right to keep your information confidential.”Your information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA means that hospitals and clinics cannot share your personal information, including your immigration status, with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement ICE or the federal government.You have the right to ask for an interpreter at a hospital or clinic. The interpretation might take place in-person, over the phone, or via video, but the hospital does have a legal obligation to provide it.As far as costs go, Emergency Medicaid can help cover most or all of an emergency room visit— limited to emergency services only —and it is available to undocumented non-citizens who meet Illinois residency requirements.You do NOT need to provide: a Social Security Number or proof of immigration status to qualify. However, you DO need: identification, proof of Illinois residency, and proof of income. Financial AssistanceMost of the time, the hospital will fill out the financial aid application for you. If they don’t, though, you have the right to request and submit your own application.Beyond Emergency Medicaid, Illinois also has a new hospital screening law, which means that, if you don’t have health insurance — regardless of your immigration status — all hospitals must check to see if you are eligible for financial assistance or “charity care” before they send you a bill.If you need help — with applying for financial assistance, finding a clinic, or other healthcare questions — you can call ICIRR’s Family Support Network hotline at +1 855 435-7693. It’s available in multiple languages, including Spanish. What If I Don’t Have Insurance?The Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act means that low-income patients without insurance can receive up to a 100% discount on services that are deemed “medically necessary” at Illinois hospitals. Here again, no Social Security Number is required — you just have to live in Illinois and have an income of twice the federal poverty level it changes every year, but right now it’s $15,060 or lower. You do also need to provide proof of identification, address, and income. Free and Charitable ClinicsIf it’s not an emergency or you’re not going to a hospital , and you don’t have health insurance — again, whether you are documented or not — there are clinics, which range from free to “charitable” to “federally qualified health centers” FQHCs .Free and charitable clinics are mostly run by volunteer health professionals, like doctors, nurses, and pharmacy technicians. They provide medical, dental, pharmacy, and mental health services to anyone who is low-income. Although you will need proof of identification and Illinois residency. Charitable clinics have a sliding payment scale, but they’re generally more affordable than FQHCs.Federally Qualified Health Centers Federally Qualified Health Centers, on the other hand, are certified by, and receive most of their funding from, the federal government. They address primary care, as well as prenatal, dental, and mental health needs, and, though their prices are on a sliding scale, most don’t cost more than $40 for a regular visit.For these, too, you’ll need proof of identification and Illinois residency. According to Quiñones, anybody who is low-income and/or uninsured as long as they live in Illinois can now also get a referral from any of these clinics, go to a hospital, and receive the service free of cost.CareLink Cook County Health Patients Only At any Cook County Health facility — including Stroger Hospital, Provident Hospital, and more than a dozen community-based health centers — anyone between 19 and 64, living in Cook County, without insurance, regardless of immigration status, can also apply for CareLink. This program offers patients up to a 100% discount on all medical care provided at Cook County Health, based on their income.“Cook County Health cares for all residents, regardless of immigration status,” Alexandra Normington, the Interim Chief Communications & Marketing Officer for Cook County Health, wrote in an email. “We believe that healthcare is a human right, and that all people should be able to access healthcare safely, without fear of legal repercussions.”