Can Undocumented Immigrants Access Health Care?

At the National Immigration Law Center, one of the most frequent questions that we are asked online is whether undocumented immigrants in the United States can access health care. Both our immigration and health systems are difficult to navigate and understand. With politicians frequently spreading false information about immigrants and public benefits, NILC can help set the record straight for anyone who might be confused.

Can Undocumented Immigrants Get Federal Government Health Insurance? 

No, they cannot, and that’s been the case for decades. Under a 1996 law, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in health insurance programs that are run by or paid for by the federal government. Even before 1996, undocumented immigrants had very limited access to health care, but the restrictions were created program by program.

This means that undocumented immigrants cannot access

• Medicaid and the Children’ s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provide health care for lower-income people
• Medicare, which provides health care for older Americans and people with certain disabilities and illnesses
• private insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare

When we say undocumented immigrants, we mean people living in the United States without current legal immigration status or permission to be in the country. This term can refer to people with many types of immigration statuses and situations, including, for example, immigrants who originally entered the country with a visa which then expired or people who had permission to be in the United States under a specific program or policy which was then ended. In 2025 alone, the Trump administration has revoked the legal statuses of nearly 1 million immigrants, making them newly undocumented and unable to legally work.

The most reliable estimates are that 13 million people in the United States are undocumented and nearly half are longstanding community members, who have lived in the country for 20 or more years.

Can Undocumented Immigrants Get Any Help with Health Care? 

In some limited and generally short-term situations.

• Federal law requires that anyone who goes to a hospital with a medical emergency is treated, regardless of whether or not they have health insurance and regardless of their immigration status. The government will pay hospitals that provide emergency treatment to people who are not eligible for Medicaid due to their immigration status. This includes labor and delivery. This program ensures doctors get paid, and no person with a medical crisis is left waiting in the emergency room.
• Some types of public health programs, such as community clinics and vaccination programs, also provide medical care to every person, regardless of their immigration status. This helps in improving the health of an entire community and prevents the spread of diseases.
• Some states have created different types of programs to help immigrants who cannot access federal health benefits access public and private health insurance. These programs have been shown to improve health outcomes for entire communities, but none of these programs receive federal funds. Finally, in many states, undocumented immigrants receive very limited prenatal care, ensuring newborns are healthy and safe.

Do Immigrants Pay Taxes Into Federal Health Programs? 

Yes. Immigrants – including undocumented immigrants – pay taxes that support programs and benefits that they are not allowed to access. For immigrants, paying and filing taxes is important for future immigration processes to demonstrate they are following tax laws. Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022.

In total, all immigrants collectively paid $579 billion in taxes that year

Can All Other Immigrants Get Health Care Paid for by the Federal Government? 

What health care any individual person is eligible for depends on what their immigration status is, how long they have lived in the country, where they live, and other factors like income and age. Many immigrants who are living in the United States with permission from the federal government are also not eligible for the major health insurance programs. For example, even permanent residents with green cards are subject to harsh policies and waiting periods that require them to wait at least five years before they can access health insurance even while living and working in the United States.

The 2025 tax and spending law did not impact the federal health insurance access for undocumented immigrants — as they were already ineligible — but did make it much harder for immigrants with permission to live and work in the United States to go to the doctor.

Why Should All Immigrants Get Health Care? 

Access to health care is important for everyone’s well-being and safety. We all know how scary it can be when a child is facing a medical emergency or when we are facing a serious diagnosis. When our families, friends and neighbors get sick or injured, we want them to be able to see a doctor without also having the burden of facing financial ruin. This is why major groups like the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association support immigrants’ access to care.

What Else Should I know About Immigrants and Health Care?

This summer Congress provided nearly $900 billion in tax cuts for millionaires. If the United States can spend hundreds of billions of tax incentives for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, arguments that we can’t afford to expand health care don’t hold much water. Redirecting even a small portion of these resources could make health care more accessible to everyone. In fact, to finance these tax cuts for the ultrawealthy, Congress approved sweeping cuts to programs that millions of people, the majority of whom are United States citizens, rely on, like Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

Meanwhile, our immigration system remains broken. For most people, there is no line they can get in to gain legal status in the United States and mass deportations are tearing apart communities across the country. We must reform our immigration system and provide a pathway to citizenship for these longtime residents.

In the meantime, providing basic health care to everyone should be a no-brainer. This is why NILC supports federal legislation such as the LIFT the BAR Act, which expands federal health care programs to all lawfully present immigrants, and the HEAL Act, which would provide pathways to health care for all immigrants, regardless of their immigration status. NILC also applauds similar state level laws to expand access to health care.