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Can family members in families with mixed immigration status, where some family members are citizens or lawfully present and others are undocumented, enroll in Medicaid or CHIP or receive help buying coverage through the Marketplaces?

Citizen and lawfully present family members can get health insurance coverage through Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplaces even if other family members are not lawfully present. Family members who are not lawfully present, including undocumented immigrants, may apply for health insurance for citizen and lawfully present family members. For example, an undocumented immigrant parent may apply for health insurance for a citizen child.

When a family with mixed immigration status applies for health insurance, it only has to give citizenship and immigration status for those family members applying for coverage. Non-applicants, such as a parent applying for a child, do not have to provide citizenship or immigration status. Non-applicants will be asked to provide a Social Security Number, but do not have to provide one unless the family is applying for help with costs for Marketplace coverage and the individual is the tax-filer for the household, and the individual has a SSN.  Information provided by applicants will not be used for immigration enforcement purposes.

CHIP, immigration, marketplace, medicaid