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1 1 (February 25, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govecih0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional *.Research Service Unauthorized Immigrants' Access to COVID-19 Vaccines February 25, 2021 COVID-19 vaccines have been widely viewed as a means of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and facilitating a return to work and school. In general, for COVID-19 vaccines to effectively reduce disease transmission, a large percentage of the population must be vaccinated. This includes anyone who resides in the United States regardless of their authorization to do so. This Insight covers the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine to unauthorized immigrants (sometimes referred to as undocumented) in the United States-a population that may face barriers to vaccine access. The Unauthorized Immigrant Population Of the 44.8 million foreign-born individuals residing in the United States in 2018, about one-quarter (10.5 million) were estimated to be unauthorized immigrants. While unauthorized immigrants are excluded from many types of federal benefits, 8 U.S.C. 1611(b)(1)(C) makes an explicit exception for immunizations with respect to immunizable diseases. Vaccine Funding and Costs Nearly half (45%) of the nonelderly (i.e., under the age of 65) unauthorized population in the United States did not have health insurance in 2017. Lack of insurance generally may be a barrier to accessing health services. However, COVID-19 vaccines are being provided for free because the vaccine was acquired by the federal government through federal purchasing. Providers are not permitted to charge for the vaccine itself and thus may not deny the vaccine based on inability to pay. They may charge an individual's public or private insurance plan for administration, storage, and other costs. For those without coverage, they may charge the Uninsured Fund for these ancillary costs. (They are prohibited from charging an individual out-of-pocket for any costs.) The Frequently Asked Questions about the Uninsured Fund states that providers are not required to confirm immigration status prior to submitting a claim. In addition, some states have extended coverage for vaccines to otherwise eligible unauthorized immigrants under emergency Medicaid, or through a temporary Medicaid disaster relief state plan amendment in the case of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11617 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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