Over the last year, the Biden Administration has made improving access to coverage and care a core policy priority across all of the healthcare programs it administers [Medicaid/ the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare, and Marketplace], with a particular focus on low-income populations. Despite the administration’s proactive steps to fund outreach, promote affordable health coverage, and simplify enrollment processes for federally funded health coverage, a key barrier remains: many immigrants and their families are concerned that enrolling in Medicaid/CHIP, Marketplace, and other public health insurance programs will run afoul of public charge rules and jeopardize their immigration status.

Originally Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program.