Health Equity and Access under the Law for Immigrant Families Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill would require all states to provide Medicaid and CHIP coverage to people who are lawfully residing in the U.S., eliminating the current five-year waiting period that many legal immigrants face before they can access these programs. This includes people with deferred action status or other forms of federally authorized presence.
• Undocumented immigrants would be allowed to buy health insurance on ACA marketplace exchanges and receive premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions to make coverage more affordable. Current law bars them from even purchasing unsubsidized plans on the exchanges.
• States would get a new option to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage to people without legal immigration status, treating them as if they were U.S. citizens for eligibility purposes. This would be a voluntary choice for each state.
• The bill removes immigration-related barriers to enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B, allowing lawfully present immigrants, including those with deferred action, to buy into Medicare coverage at retirement age.
• Sponsors of immigrants who receive Medicaid under this bill would not have debt held against them through affidavits of support, removing a financial risk that currently discourages some legal immigrants from seeking healthcare coverage.