- Home
- About GCIR
- Membership
- Programs
- About Immigration
- Immigrant Integration
- Publications
- FAQs
Covering New Americans: A Review of Federal and State Policies Related to Immigrants’ Eligibility and Access to Publicly Funded Health Insurance reviews significant declines in health coverage for legal immigrants after the enactment of the 1996 welfare law. It eExamines the impact of new state replacement programs, and reviews ways to reduce enrollment barriers, including confusion over program eligibility, language barriers, and concerns that enrollment will jeopardize immigration status.
This study Ssummarizes the challenges immigrants face in maintaining good health on arrival in the United States, including lack of health care coverage, linguistic barriers, and cultural adjustments.; In addition, it describes how grantmakers can help improve immigrant health by building capacity in immigrant communities, promoting immigrant integration, expanding healthcare access and coverage, and supporting education and outreach activities.
This guide explains the complexity of immigrant eligibility for federal benefit programs after the 1996 welfare law restrictions were implemented, as well as replacement programs enacted by states to soften the impact of federal cuts. It gives detailed information on eligibility for foster care and other children's programs as well as programs providing cash assistance, food, housing, employment, education, legal, and disaster relief services. In addition, it clarifies how to identify immigrant status and provides a glossary of terms.
This study documents the hardship experienced by children in immigrant families resulting from the 1996 welfare law that cut benefits and had a disproportionate impact on immigrants. Hardship was greater for children of immigrants than natives in three areas of basic need: food, housing, and health care. The examination of eight high-immigrant states showed hunger and lack of access to health care were higher in states with less generous programs to replace the federal cuts.
Synthesizes national data sources to portray major factors affecting children in immigrant families under age six, the key years for child development. Clear graphs portray poverty, family structure and parents' work; risk factors for poor school performance; hardship and benefit use; health status; and child care arrangements. Concludes with suggestions for further research.
Finds that policies designed to reduce language barriers and legal immigrants' fears of receiving health benefits helped expand coverage for low-income citizen children with immigrant parents between 1999 and 2002, but that coverage rates for these children are still below children with citizen parents. Very low rates of coverage offered by immigrants' employers increases significance of whether or not access to public coverage is available.
Provides detailed comparative analysis of how race/ethnicity, immigration status, and language affect health insurance coverage, access to care, and quality of care; helpful charts portray coverage rates and percentages by status and ethnicity who saw a doctor, were hospitalized, or postponed seeking care. Policies that could play a key role in reducing disparities include restoring federal coverage to legal immigrants, expanding state replacement programs, increasing job-related coverage, and improving language access.
Explains special concerns that keep immigrant families from participating in public-benefit programs even when eligible. Describes confusion about eligibility, confidentiality, public charge, sponsor liability, and language access, and gives step-by-step suggestions for overcoming barriers in the application process, improving enrollment strategies, and conducting outreach to immigrant families.
To order a copy of one of GCIR's publications, click here.