Under HR 1, many lawfully present immigrants will face narrower Medicaid and CHIP eligibility policies on Oct. 1.
According to a Sept. 22 KFF brief, some lawfully present immigrants could lose coverage, as a result. To be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, people must reside in a state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory. They must also either be U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban or Haitian entrants, or people living in the U.S. under a Compact of Free Association. States can also cover children and pregnant women in both Medicaid and CHIP if they are “lawfully residing in the United States.”
Here are five things to know about the changes, per the brief:
- Undocumented immigrants were already ineligible for Medicaid and CHIP prior to HR 1.
- However, HR 1 can cut eligibility for refugees and asylees without green cards. Other groups that could face cuts include domestic violence survivors with pending or approved applications for lawful status under the Violence Against Women Act, as well as trafficking survivors with a pending or approved T visa.
- States can still opt to cover lawfully residing children and pregnant people without a five-year waiting period, under previous legislation.
- Spending for emergency Medicaid and CHIP Health Services Initiatives — states using limited funds to back children’s health projects — will not face these immigrant eligibility restrictions.
- After states first identify Medicaid beneficiaries who could possibly be affected by the changes, they will double-check immigration statuses using electronic data sources before any direct beneficiary outreach. If states cannot reverify, they can contact the beneficiaries for additional information, granting a 90-day reasonable opportunity period.
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