The federal Health Insurance Marketplace—also known as the Health Insurance Exchange—is the place where people without health care insurance can find information about health insurance options and purchase health care insurance. Information can also be found regarding eligibility for help with paying premiums and reducing out-of-pocket costs. Each year the Marketplace has an open enrollment period.
In addition to the federally-facilitated Marketplace, www.healthcare.gov, there are also state-based Marketplaces. Whether you use the federally-facilitated Marketplace or a state-based Marketplace depends on the state in which you live. If you visit www.healthcare.gov you will be asked to provide your ZIP code. If you live in an area served by a state-based Marketplace, you’ll then be redirected to the website of your state-based Marketplace.
Immigration Statuses That Qualify for Marketplace Coverage
Immigrants with the following statuses qualify to use the Marketplace:
• Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR/green card holder)
• Asylee
• Refugee
• Cuban/Haitian Entrant
• Paroled into the U.S.
• Conditional Entrant Granted before 1980
• Battered Spouse, Child and Parent
• Victim of Trafficking and his/her Spouse, Child, Sibling or Parent
• Granted Withholding of Deportation or Withholding of Removal, under the immigration laws or under the Convention against Torture (CAT)
• Individual with Non-immigrant Status, includes worker visas (such as H1, H-2A, H-2B), student visas, U-visa, T-visa, and other visas, and citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
• Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)
• Deferred Action Status (Exception: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is not an eligible immigration status for applying for health insurance)
• Lawful Temporary Resident
• Administrative order staying removal issued by the Department of Homeland Security
• Member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe or American Indian Born in Canada
• Resident of American Samoa
Applicants for any of these statuses qualify to use the Marketplace:
• Temporary Protected Status with Employment Authorization
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
• Victim of Trafficking Visa
• Adjustment to LPR Status
• Asylum (see note below)
• Withholding of Deportation, or Withholding of Removal, under the immigration laws or under the Convention against Torture (CAT)
Applicants for asylum are eligible for Marketplace coverage only if they’ve been granted employment authorization or are under the age of 14 and have had an application pending for at least 180 days.
People with the following statuses and who have employment authorization qualify for the Marketplace:
• Registry Applicants
• Order of Supervision
• Applicant for Cancellation of Removal or Suspension of Deportation
• Applicant for Legalization under Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)
• Legalization under the LIFE Act (Legal Immigration Family Equity Act)
Information about immigration status will be used only to determine eligibility for coverage and not for immigration enforcement.
In Texas, individuals seeking health insurance can utilize the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, as the state does not have its own state-based Marketplace. During the open enrollment period, or under certain qualifying events, Texans can visit www.healthcare.gov to explore their health insurance options, check their eligibility for premium subsidies, and enroll in a plan. A variety of immigration statuses are eligible to use the Marketplace, including lawful permanent residents, asylees, refugees, and many others. Immigrants with certain statuses, such as those with temporary protected status or applicants for asylum with employment authorization, also qualify. It's important to note that information about immigration status is used solely to determine eligibility for health insurance coverage and is not used for immigration enforcement purposes. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, however, are not eligible for Marketplace insurance. Texans who fall into any of the eligible immigration categories can apply for health insurance through the Marketplace, provided they meet other requirements.
