Health Coverage Options for Afghan Evacuees

Health Coverage Options for Afghan Evacuees as of November 1, 2021.

Please visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/programs/refugees/afghan-assistance-resources for latest updates.

 Afghan evacuees arriving in the United States will be eligible for health insurance. Afghan evacuees can access health insurance through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Health Insurance Marketplace, or Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA or other health coverage provided by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)). RMA is provided through ORR, in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and administered in most cases by state Medicaid programs. Eligibility for each coverage program depends upon the state where an evacuee is residing and the eligibility criteria for the respective program. 1 Non-Citizen Eligibility Afghan evacuees are entering the U.S. under two main immigration categories: • Afghans with a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV): Afghans granted an SIV have worked for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan for not less than 1 year, e.g., as translators and interpreters, or are the spouse or an unmarried child under the age of 21 of such individuals. SIVs are admitted as Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs, also known as U.S. green card holders). • Parolees: Parolees are Afghans who were evacuated for urgent humanitarian reasons and paroled on a case-by-case basis into the United States. These Afghans did not arrive with an SIV or other visa, so they were paroled rather than admitted to the United States. As parolees, they are eligible to apply for work authorization. They are eligible to apply for asylum upon arrival in the U.S. and any other immigration benefit for which they may be eligible, including in some cases adjustment to LPR status. Afghan evacuees in both immigration categories described above all may be eligible for the same health coverage options.2 • Afghans who enter the U.S. under either of these categories are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP to the same extent as refugees, without a five-year waiting period, if they meet other eligibility requirements (e.g., income) for coverage in the state, until March 31, 2023, or the term of parole granted to the evacuee, whichever is later. These Afghan parolees are considered “qualified non-citizens” for purposes of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility since they are eligible for the same benefits as refugees. See 8 U.S.C. §§ 1641(b)(3), 1613(b)(1)(A), 1612(b)(2)(A)(i).3 1 Medicaid and CHIP eligibility criteria vary from state to state. Eligibility requirements for cove