Which states provide state‑funded Medicaid or Medicaid‑like programs to undocumented adults and children?

1. Which states cover undocumented adults (the short list and caveats)

Multiple policy trackers and reporting consistently list California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Washington — plus the District of Columbia — as jurisdictions that have created state‑funded programs to extend Medicaid or Medicaid‑equivalent benefits to at least some undocumented adults ^{[1] [3] [5]}. That headline list obscures important caveats: several programs have enrollment caps, temporary pauses, or sunset dates; California and Minnesota, for example, have implemented program changes and enrollment pauses or time‑limited policies that affect new applicants and future coverage ^{[5] [2]}. Sources differ slightly in counting because states add, modify, or restrict programs frequently; the NILC and KFF trackers cited here are the primary catalogs used by advocates and reporters ^{[6] [7] [3]}.

2. Children and pregnant people: broader state action

A larger group of states — commonly reported as 14 states plus DC — use state funds or state‑administered federal options to provide Medicaid or CHIP‑like coverage to children and often to pregnant people regardless of immigration status ^{[2] [6]}. Advocacy and legal trackers emphasize that while federally funded Medicaid/CHIP is limited to certain lawful immigrant categories, states may and do adopt options or fully state‑fund programs to cover children and prenatal care, and many have chosen to do so to reduce pediatric uninsured rates and protect maternal health ^{[7] [8]}.

3. Full‑benefit states: California and Oregon as exemplars

Two states, California and Oregon, have gone the farthest by funding full Medicaid benefits for all low‑income residents who would otherwise qualify but for their immigration status — effectively making comprehensive Medicaid‑equivalent coverage available regardless of immigration status in those jurisdictions ^[4]. Even in these cases, policy details matter: California’s program timelines, benefit packages, and future enrollment rules have been adjusted, and proposed state changes (premiums, benefit limits, pauses) have been publicly announced — demonstrating how expansive programs remain politically and administratively fragile ^[5].

4. Federal constraints and the political pressure on state programs

These state innovations exist against a shifting federal backdrop: longstanding federal rules already bar undocumented immigrants from federally funded Medicaid and CHIP, and recent federal legislation and proposed measures (e.g., the “One Big Beautiful Bill” provisions) threaten to reduce federal matching funds or impose penalties on states that self‑fund immigrant coverage, which could make state programs costlier or prompt rollback ^{[9] [10] [11]}. Analysts warn that federal changes scheduled in the mid‑2020s will change which lawfully present immigrants are eligible for federal matching funds and could indirectly pressure states to narrow state‑funded programs for undocumented residents ^{[8] [12]}.

5. Why counts differ and why details matter

Public reporting and policy trackers disagree on exact counts because programs differ (full Medicaid benefits vs. limited prenatal or child coverage vs. marketplace subsidies), enrollment windows and caps shift, and states continue to enact or rescind policies — all of which produce fluid tallies ^{[7] [2]}. Reliable conclusions require consulting up‑to‑date state tables or maps (e.g., NILC, KFF), because a state listed as offering coverage one month may have closed enrollment, scaled benefits back, or passed new fiscal measures the next ^{[6] [5]}.

6. Bottom line — current practical answer and limits of available reporting

As of the most consistent, recent policy tracking, seven states (California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Washington) plus D.C. have established state‑funded Medicaid or Medicaid‑like programs that include at least some undocumented adults, and about 14 states plus D.C. provide state‑funded coverage for undocumented children and often pregnant people — though program scope and enrollment rules vary and several programs face pauses or future rollbacks tied to state budgets and federal policy shifts ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The picture is dynamic; the sources used here (NILC, KFF, state tables and policy briefs) are authoritative but explicitly note that the list of states and program details change frequently and should be checked against the latest state materials for case‑specific eligibility questions ^{[7] [6]}.