New Option for States to Provide Federally Funded Medicaid and CHIP Coverage to Additional Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women

This fact sheet provides state-level data from a Kaiser survey that found that a large number of states are using state funds to provide health coverage to legal immigrant children and pregnant women through Medicaid, CHIP or another state program.

Under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, states now have the option to provide federally matched Medicaid or CHIP to some or all of the legal immigrants they have been covering solely with state funds.

Also, states that have not previously covered the lawfully residing children and pregnant women who had been ineligible for federal coverage can now expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage to these groups with the benefit of federal matching funds.

Fact Sheet (.pdf)