Health insurance isn’t just for U.S. citizens

Many immigrants can get government help paying their monthly insurance bills.

By: Jorge Martinez

The health care system in the United States is different than many other countries. We don’t have universal coverage in this country, so it’s important for immigrants to understand what they need to do to keep them and their families healthy and protected from high medical bills.

In the U.S., if you don’t receive health insurance through your job, you can enroll in a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace, sometimes called Obamacare. Health plans through the Marketplace are not just for U.S. citizens. People with many immigration statuses can sign up for health insurance and may even get help from the government paying their monthly insurance bill.

Some of the immigrants who qualify to use the Health Insurance Marketplace include:

• Green Card holders
• Asylees
• Refugees
• Cuban and Haitian entrants
• People with worker or student visas
• Victims of trafficking and their immediate families
• Those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
• Lawful temporary residents
• And many other statuses that can be found at healthcare.gov/immigrants

A licensed health insurance agent or navigator can help determine if you qualify for health insurance through the Marketplace and get help paying for it. Receiving financial assistance from the government to help lower your insurance costs (also known as a subsidy) will not negatively impact your immigration status and process. Public charge regulations were eliminated in March 2021.

If you have questions about how health insurance works, financial assistance to help pay for it or the Health Insurance Marketplace, check out GetCoveredFlorida.com.