A new fact sheet was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with information for immigrant families and their healthcare providers to help them enroll for services when the ACA takes effect in January.
Currently, more than half of non-U.S. citizen adults are uninsured and immigrant children have much higher uninsured rates compared to children who are citizens. Lawfully present immigrants must wait five years in most states before becoming eligible for Medicaid. However, 22 states allow immigrant children with fewer than five years’ residency to enroll in Medicaid, and 18 states allow the same for pregnant immigrant women.
Expansions of coverage for lawfully present immigrants under the ACA include allowing naturalized citizens and legal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for more than five years the same coverage opportunities as other Americans. Legal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for fewer than five years will be able to purchase insurance in the exchanges and may be eligible for subsidies. Undocumented immigrants will not be able to enroll in Medicaid or to purchase coverage in the exchanges. The fact sheet includes a discussion on mixed-status families as well.
Outreach strategies are discussed in the fact sheet, including people to help with applications, translation, online enrollment and reassurance.
The National Council has further information here. For more resources on enrollment best practices, visit www.enrollamerica.org.