No.
Undocumented immigrants do not automatically receive free healthcare, and are not eligible for most federal healthcare assistance programs like Medicaid.
In some states, undocumented immigrants have access to state-specific healthcare assistance programs for low-income individuals. These programs are generally subject to income requirements, or are specific to pregnant people or uninsured children.
Some ‘safety-net’ providers, which receive federal funding to serve populations of disproportionately low-income or uninsured individuals, offer care to everyone regardless of an individual’s ability to pay or immigration status. Emergency healthcare for those whose life or safety are at-risk, often covered by emergency Medicaid, follows the same guidelines.
Healthcare for migrants in detention, who are awaiting processing and face possible deportation, is funded by the ICE Health Service Corps, comparable to taxpayer-funded healthcare for incarcerated Americans.
This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service, Immigrants’ Access to Health Care
- J Health Care Poor Underserved, The Undocumented Elderly: Coverage Gaps and Low Health Care Use
- Immigration Forum, Fact Sheet: Undocumented Immigrants and Federal Health Care Benefits
- Healthcare.gov, Health coverage for immigrants
- KFF, Key Facts on Health Coverage of Immigrants
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE Health Service Corps focused on best patient outcomes
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Healthcare Costs for Noncitizens in Detention
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
