FACT BRIEFDoes Nevada Medicaid cover undocumented immigrants?
No.
Nevada Medicaid does not cover undocumented immigrants, or people who are living in the U.S. without legal immigration status.
According to KFF, a nonpartisan, nonprofit health policy organization, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in federally funded health coverage, including Medicaid.
People must provide proof of citizenship or legal immigration status when they apply for Medicaid, Kristle Muessle, a spokesperson for Nevada’s Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, confirmed in an email on March 5.
Medicaid can be billed by hospitals that provide certain health coverage to undocumented immigrants in the event of a medical emergency.
State lawmakers did pass a bill in 2023 that would have expanded Nevada Medicaid coverage to some undocumented people who wouldn’t ordinarily qualify. But Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed the bill, saying the state had “insufficient resources to implement this new service.”
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Nevada Independent partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Sources
- KFF 5 Key Facts About Immigrants and Medicaid
- Inquiry to Nevada Medicaid Email exchange
- Nevada Legislature SB419
- Gov. Joe Lombardo SB419 veto message
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