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PROGRAM INFORMATION
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CHILDREN'S HEALTH
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LONG TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS
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Maryland Access Point
Immigration Status Requirements for Medicaid
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To be eligible for full Medicaid or Maryland Children's Health Program coverage, most non-citizens must have a “qualified” immigration status, except for pregnant women and children
under age 21, who must only be lawfully-present.
Qualified immigration statuses
include:
Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs/Green Card Holders)
Asylees, or individuals with a pending application for asylum (only if they’ve been granted employment authorization, or are under the age of 14 and have had an application pending for at least 180 days)
Refugees
Cuban/Haitian entrants
Paroled into the U.S. for at least one year
Conditional entrant granted before 1980
Battered non-citizens, spouses, children, or parents
Victims of trafficking and his/her spouse, child, sibling, or parent, or individuals with a pending application for a victim of trafficking visa
Gran
ted withholding of dep
ortation
American Indian born in Canada
5 Year Bar
Many individuals entering the U.S. on or after August 22, 1996 must wait 5 years after receiving a qualifying immigration status before they can become eligible for Medicaid or MCHP. This federal rule is known as the "5 year bar." There are some exceptions to the 5 year bar rule. Lawfully-present pregnant women and children under age 21 and non-citizens with the below immigration statuses are
exempt
from the 5 year bar.
Refugees
Asylees
I
ndividuals granted withholding of deportation/removal
Cuban/Haitian entrants
Amerasian immigrants
Trafficking survivors
Iraqi or Afghan special immigrant status
Veterans or individuals on active military duty and their spouse, un-remarried surviving spouse, or child
Certain American Indians born abroad
Individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Foster Care
Other Health Coverage Options for Non-citizens
Qualified Health Plan
Lawfully present non-citizens who are Maryland residents are eligible to enroll in a
qualified health plan
through Maryland Health Connection. In addition, lawfully present immigrants who are not eligible for Medicaid may still qualify for tax credits to help pay premiums and cost-sharing reductions for health insurance through Maryland Health Connection if their household income is below certain limits. For more information about qualified health plans and to apply, go to
Maryland Health Connection
.
Emergency Medical Services
Non-citizens who have not met the 5 year bar and those not legally in the U.S. may be eligible for Medicaid payment of emergency medical services only, including labor and delivery services for pregnant women, if all other eligibility requirements for Medicaid are met. This program is not health insurance. For more information about Medicaid for emergency medical services and to apply, please visit your local
Department of Social Services
.
How is immigration Status Information Used?
Federal law requires Medicaid state agencies and health exchanges to verify the citizenship or immigration status of individuals who are requesting Medicaid coverage and other federal benefits to determine their eligibility for coverage. Information about immigration status will be used only to determine eligibility for coverage and not for immigration enforcement. Individuals who are not requesting coverage will not be asked about their immigration status. For more information about how immigration status information is used, click
here
.
If we cannot verify your immigration status, you may be asked to provide documentation. For a list of types of documents that are accepted to verify immigration status, click
here
.
Resources
Maryland Health Connection
Enrollment and Eligibility Information for Immigrant Families
Interpreter Services
Verifying information - Document to Use
Understanding Immigration Status Under the Affordable Care Act
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