Written by ASAP’s expert immigration lawyers · Updated
Health care in the United States can be very expensive. To help cover medical costs, many people in the United States get health insurance. What health insurance you can access is different depending on your immigration status and the state where you live. Accessing health insurance or medical care should not affect your asylum case.
Continue reading or click on the links below to learn about:
Health insurance from the government, through programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and state-based programs
Health insurance from a health care “exchange” or “marketplace,” websites where individuals can purchase health insurance and sometimes receive government financial assistance
What if I need medical care but I do not have health insurance?
For urgent medical care, you can still go to a hospital emergency room, even if you do not have insurance. You will most likely be asked to pay after your hospital visit. However, at some hospitals, you may be able to ask for “charity care” and get medical care for free or lower cost. If you are delivering a baby or you have a serious medical emergency, you may also be able to apply for Emergency Medicaid at the hospital. You can talk to a social worker or a hospital employee to see if you may qualify for charity care or Emergency Medicaid.
Also, some medical clinics offer free or low-cost care for people without insurance, including immigrants. Here are some resources to look for options in your area:
Visit this Free Clinic Directory and enter your zip code, or the city and state where you live, to find free and low-cost medical clinics in your area.
You can call 211 in many parts of the United States to get help finding local health care centers and other services.
This resource from United We Dream also contains links to free and low-cost clinics in different states. Please note that this resource is from 2020, so some of the information may be outdated.
For resources on mental health services, you can visit this website.
You can also try to search for community organizations in your area to ask for help.
Can asylum seekers access health insurance through an employer?
Yes – in general, if your employer offers health insurance to their employees, you can choose to get health insurance this way. Some employers offer health insurance to their employees, and others do not.
Can asylum seekers access government health insurance such as Medicaid or CHIP?
Maybe. Currently, some asylum seekers can qualify for specific types of government health insurance. It depends on how much money you earn, where you live, what age you are, and whether you are pregnant. Each U.S. state has different rules.
In July 2025, a law was passed that will restrict Medicaid for some asylum seekers – starting on October 1, 2026. Read more information below.
Pregnant people and children
In some U.S. states, pregnant people and children who are seeking asylum can apply for government health insurance through government programs, usually called “CHIP” or “Medicaid.” The law that was passed in July 2025 did not change this. To qualify, you have to show that the money you earn is below a certain amount.
Below is information about which U.S. states offer government health insurance to pregnant asylum seekers and children, as of April 2025. For more details and up-to-date information, you can view these maps and this website.
States with government health insurance for all pregnant people, regardless of immigration status:
Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin
States with government health insurance for pregnant people who qualify as “lawfully residing,” including people with a work permit based on seeking asylum:
Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wyoming
States with government health insurance for all children, regardless of immigration status:
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C.
States with government health insurance for children who qualify as “lawfully residing,” including children with a work permit based on seeking asylum, or children under 14 years old who applied for asylum at least 180 days ago:
Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin
Please note: if your child was born in the United States, they are a U.S. citizen and are eligible for government health insurance in every state. U.S. citizen children are eligible for government health insurance regardless of the immigration status of their parents.
Asylum seekers who are 65 years of age or older
Asylum seekers 65 or older with work permits who have been working in the United States for 10 years or longer used to qualify for government health insurance for seniors called Medicare. However, the law passed in July 2025 limited Medicare eligibility. Most asylum seekers are no longer eligible to apply for the first time. If you are an asylum seeker and currently have Medicare, your coverage will likely end no later than January 4, 2027.
However, there are some exceptions. Illinois and New York have health care options for people over 65, regardless of immigration status.
Other groups of asylum seekers
Some states may offer healthcare assistance to other asylum seekers and immigrants.
If you have questions about whether you might be eligible for government health benefits in your state, you can try to search for community organizations in your area to ask for more information.
Can asylum seekers buy health insurance through a national or state exchange (also called a “marketplace”)?
In July 2025, a law was passed that will prevent asylum seekers from buying health insurance through a national exchange – starting on January 1, 2027. Before January 1, 2027, if you are an asylum seeker with a valid work permit, you should be able to buy health insurance on a national or state-based exchange. If you have a different immigration status, you can check this government webpage.
Some states also have their own state exchange that immigrants can access, regardless of immigration status:
As of 2023, you can buy health insurance on the Colorado state exchange and apply for financial support regardless of your immigration status.
As of 2024, residents of Washington state are also able to use the state exchange regardless of immigration status.
Visit these websites to learn more:
State health care exchanges: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Washington state.
Find information about the July 2025 law on this webpage.
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The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) aims to provide factual information about current immigration laws. This information is not legal advice.
All legal content is written and legally reviewed by ASAP’s team of expert immigration lawyers. ASAP’s expert lawyers have decades of experience in immigration law and litigation. Collectively, they have won hundreds of cases. Our lawyers are admitted to the Bar in several U.S. states, hold law degrees from universities including Harvard, Yale, and UCLA, and have won multiple awards for their legal work.