Overcoming Immigrant Barriers to Coverage: Options for Health Care When Major Programs Don’t Cut It

Abstract

Immigrants in the U.S. are disproportionately uninsured compared to their native-born counterparts. In 2010, 34.1% of all immigrants lacked health coverage. A variety of factors contribute to this: immigrants are less likely to have access to employer-sponsored health insurance and they face statutory restrictions to numerous public coverage programs, including a minimum five-year waiting period that applies to most lawfully present individuals for Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare.