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Table 9: States' Choices Regarding
Medicaid Coverage of Immigrants
Table 9 provides information on the choices that states have
made about providing Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants. The 1996 federal welfare law
prohibits states from using federal Medicaid funds to provide coverage to
"non-exempt" legal immigrants who entered the United States on or after August
22, 1996. It also gave states the option to decide whether or not to cover
"non-exempt" legal immigrants who arrived prior to August 22, 1996.
However, states are required to cover "exempt"
groups of legal immigrants, regardless of when they arrived in the United States. For purposes of Medicaid eligibility, exempt groups of immigrants
include refugees for their first seven years; asylees for their first seven years; persons
granted withholding of deportation for seven years; Cuban/Haitian entrants for first seven
years; Amerasians for their first seven years; veterans, individuals on active duty,
spouses and dependent children of veterans or individuals on active duty; and legal
permanent residents who can claim forty quarters of work (either through their own
employment or that of their parents or spouses).(24)
Moreover, states also are required to provide emergency medical assistance to all
immigrants, regardless of when they entered the United States, as long as they are
financially and categorically eligible for Medicaid.
Column 1: Column 1 indicates whether a state
has exercised the option to provide Medicaid to non-exempt "qualified"
immigrants who were in the United States before August 22, 1996. Qualified immigrants
include the following groups of legal immigrants: legal permanent residents (including
Amerasians), refugees, asylees, persons granted withholding of deportation, Cuban/Haitian
entrants, persons paroled into the U.S. for at least one year, persons granted conditional
entry, and certain battered women and children.
Column 2: Column 2 identifies which states
have elected to use their own funds to provide state-funded Medicaid or similar medical
assistance to immigrants who are not eligible for federally-funded Medicaid.
Table 9
States' Choices Regarding Medicaid Coverage of Immigrants |
| |
Does the state provide
Medicaid to non-exempt qualified immigrants who arrived before 8/22/96? |
Does the state provide
state-funded Medicaid or similar medical assistance to legal immigrants who are not
eligible for federally-funded Medicaid? |
| Totals |
50 Yes
1 No |
20 Yes
31 No |
| Alabama |
Yes |
No |
| Alaska |
Yes |
No |
| Arizona |
Yes |
PRUCOLS receiving SSI-related
Medicaid pre-8/21/96 and pregnant women who were legally in U.S. before or on 8/11/96 and
are now not qualified |
| Arkansas |
Yes |
No |
| California |
Yes |
All legal ineligible immigrants
|
| Colorado |
Yes |
Prenatal care for legal
immigrants who entered after 8/22/96 |
| Connecticut |
Yes |
Lawfully residing residents;
PRUCOLS and qualified aliens who are victims of domestic violence. |
| Delaware |
Yes |
All legal immigrants |
| District of Columbia |
Yes |
No |
| Florida |
Yes |
Certain PRUCOLS receiving
Medicaid pre-8/22/96 |
| Georgia |
Yes |
No |
| Hawaii |
Yes |
No |
| Idaho |
Yes |
No |
| Illinois |
Yes |
Children post-8/22/96 and all
pregnant women |
| Indiana |
Yes |
No |
| Iowa |
Yes |
No |
| Kansas |
Yes |
No |
| Kentucky |
Yes |
No |
| Louisiana |
Yes |
No |
| Maine |
Yes |
All legal immigrants |
| Maryland |
Yes |
All pregnant women and children
under 18 yrs |
| Massachusetts |
Yes |
All legal immigrants |
| Michigan |
Yes |
PRUCOLS in long-term care
pre-8/22/96 |
| Minnesota |
Yes |
All legal immigrants |
| Mississippi |
Yes |
No |
| Missouri |
Yes |
No |
| Montana |
Yes |
No |
| Nebraska |
Yes |
All legal immigrants |
| Nevada |
Yes |
No |
| New Hampshire |
Yes |
No |
| New Jersey |
Yes |
Legal pregnant immigrants
eligible for pre-natal care and all immigrants eligible for free/reduced charity hospital
care |
| New Mexico |
Yes |
PRUCOLS pre-8/22/96 |
| New York |
Yes |
PRUCOLS who were Medicaid
recipients in certain residential health care facilities pre-8/4/97 and AIDS patients on
Medicaid pre-8/4/97. |
| North Carolina |
Yes |
No |
| North Dakota |
Yes |
No |
| Ohio |
Yes |
No |
| Oklahoma |
Yes |
No |
| Oregon |
Yes |
No |
| Pennsylvania |
Yes |
All legal immigrants |
| Rhode Island |
Yes |
All pregnant women and children
under 19 yrs |
| South Carolina |
Yes |
No |
| South Dakota |
Yes |
No |
| Tennessee |
Yes |
No |
| Texas |
Yes |
No |
| Utah |
Yes |
No |
| Vermont |
Yes |
No |
| Virginia |
Yes |
All legal immigrant children
under age 19 yrs. and PRUCOLS receiving long-term care on 6/30/97 |
| Washington |
Yes |
PRUCOLS and immigrants
pre-8/21/96 who are eligible for state-funded TANF and all children up to 100% FPL and all
pregnant women |
| West Virginia |
Yes |
No |
| Wisconsin |
Yes |
No |
| Wyoming |
No |
No |
NOTES
24. For a more detailed description
of the rules that govern states' options around coverage of legal immigrants, see Kelly
Carmody, State Options to Assist Legal Immigrants Ineligible for Federal Benefits, Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities, February 1998.
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