State health coverage for immigrants and implications for health coverage and care

As of 2023, there were 22.4 million individuals who are noncitizen immigrants residing in the U.S., accounting for about 7% of the country’s total population. Among noncitizen immigrants, about six in ten are lawfully present immigrants while the remaining four in ten are undocumented immigrants. Noncitizen immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented, face significant barriers to accessing health coverage and care and are significantly more likely than citizens to be uninsured. These higher uninsured rates reflect more limited access to private coverage and eligibility restrictions for federally funded coverage options. Some states have taken up options in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to expand coverage for lawfully present immigrants and/or established fully state-funded programs to fill gaps in coverage for immigrants. This brief provides an overview of state take-up of these options and state health coverage programs for immigrants regardless of status. It also examines how health coverage and care for immigrants vary by state coverage policies using data from the 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants. (author introduction)