The Impacts of Undocumented Immigrants on the U.S. Health Care System

The researchers examined the impact of undocumented immigration on the U.S. health care system. They also explored how efforts to secure citizenship for undocumented immigrants could increase access to public and private insurance for this population. The researchers focused on three research questions: 1) How much have undocumented immigrants contributed to the rate of uninsurance and to growth in the numbers of non-elderly uninsured in recent years? 2) How much uncompensated care do U.S. providers deliver to undocumented immigrants who lack health insurance coverage? and 3) To what extent would undocumented children and adults qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP coverage should they become legal residents? The objective of the project was to provide current estimates of the actual burden of undocumented immigrants on the health care system to help inform public discussion on policy options.