Parents' legal status and children's health insurance: Evidence from DACA

Abstract

Fear of immigration enforcement may deter undocumented parents from enrolling their US citizen children in public health insurance. This paper examines the effect of providing legal status to parents through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for health insurance coverage among US-born children. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that DACA eligibility among likely undocumented mothers increases Medicaid enrollment for their US-born children by five percentage points; however, I do not find an overall change in health insurance coverage, potentially due to a substitution effect between Medicaid and private insurance. Additionally, I do not find evidence to support a similar effect among US-born children with likely undocumented fathers.