Do you believe all undocumented immigrants should be covered under a government-run health plan?
Yes
Joe Biden
Former vice president
“You cannot let people who are sick, no matter where they come from, no matter what their status, go uncovered,” Biden said during the first Democratic debate. He raised his hand when when asked whether his government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.
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Michael Bennet (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, Colorado
Bennet is no longer running for president. “Undocumented immigrants should have the option of purchasing health insurance on the exchange,” Bennet told The Post.
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Cory Booker (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, New Jersey
Booker is no longer running for president. "We need to make our health-care system more effective by passing Medicare-for-all, and we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform that creates a pathway to citizenship for those already living in the United States," Booker told the Post.
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Julian Castro (Dropped out)
Former mayor, San Antonio
Castro is no longer running for president. Castro supports covering undocumented immigrants, he told The Post.
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Bill de Blasio (Dropped out)
Mayor, New York City
de Blasio is no longer running for president. In January 2019, de Blasio announced an “NYC Care” plan to guarantee insurance to the city's undocumented immigrants.
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Kirsten Gillibrand (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, New York
Gillibrand is no longer running for president. Gillibrand co-sponsored Sanders’ Medicare-for-all proposal, which would cover undocumented immigrants.
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Kamala D. Harris (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, California
Harris is no longer running for president. Harris co-sponsored Sanders’ Medicare-for-all proposal, which would cover undocumented immigrants.
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Seth Moulton (Dropped out)
U.S. representative, Massachusetts
Moulton is no longer running for president. “Under current law hospitals in the US cannot refuse to treat patients who need care. This means that when an undocumented immigrant gets care they often do so in the emergency department. Hospitals are the highest cost providers and the bills are often too high for immigrants to afford,” Moulton told The Post. “In this way we already pay for health care for undocumented immigrants. My plan would be a public option. By opening it up to undocumented immigrants to purchase, more folks will be covered, the risk pool will be younger and healthier, and fewer hospital bills will go unpaid.”
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Bernie Sanders (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, Vermont
Sanders is no longer running for president. Sanders told The Post, "My plan would cover all U.S. residents."
6/21/2019: “If you are a human being, regardless of your immigration status, you have a right to health care.”
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Tom Steyer (Dropped out)
Billionaire activist
Steyer is no longer running for president. “Yes. Unfortunately, we have a broken immigration system. We have people living here, contributing to society, but are forced to live in the shadows,” Steyer told The Post. “Until we fix our immigration system, undocumented workers should have access to the health services that they require.”
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Eric Swalwell (Dropped out)
U.S. representative, California
Swalwell is no longer running for president. “I support coverage for all,” Swalwell told The Post.
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Elizabeth Warren (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, Massachusetts
Warren is no longer running for president. Warren co-sponsored Sanders’ Medicare-for-all proposal, which would cover undocumented immigrants.
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Marianne Williamson (Dropped out)
Author
Williamson is no longer running for president. Williamson told The Post, "Yes" when asked.
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Yes, with caveat
Mike Bloomberg (Dropped out)
Former New York mayor
Bloomberg is no longer running for president. Bloomberg believes that undocumented immigrants who register to begin the path to citizenship laid out in his plan should be covered under a government-run health plan, a campaign spokesperson told The Post. All individuals, regardless of immigration status, should have access to critical health services, including immunizations, the spokesperson said.
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Pete Buttigieg (Dropped out)
Former mayor, South Bend, Ind.
Buttigieg is no longer running for president. “Undocumented immigrants should be able to buy coverage through the public option,” a Buttigieg campaign spokesman told The Post early in the campaign. Buttigieg later told The Post, “I would expect that you'd have to be a citizen to qualify for subsidies.” His campaign said that his plan “would provide subsidies to everyone who is eligible for them under the ACA, including US citizens and lawful permanent residents. It also expands on Obamacare by allowing all undocumented people to buy in to a public plan — and he will prioritize work towards a path to citizenship on day one in the White House so people can have the full benefits of being an American citizen."
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Andrew Yang (Dropped out)
Tech entrepreneur
Yang is no longer running for president. "Undocumented immigrants who register for the path to citizenship would be eligible to participate in the health plan at some additional cost to them," Yang told The Post.
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No
Steve Bullock (Dropped out)
Governor, Montana
Bullock is no longer running for president. “Comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders, helps the Dreamers who have known no other home than ours, and provides legal status and a path to citizenship for immigrants who have been part of the fabric of our country for many years is the best way to address health coverage for people who want to become American citizens,” Bullock told The Post. “We’ve got 100,00 people showing up at the border right now. If we decriminalize entry, if we give free healthcare to everyone, we’ll have multiples of that,” Bullock said at the second Democratic debate. “A sane immigration system needs a sane leader. And we can do that without decriminalizing and providing health care for everyone.”
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John Delaney (Dropped out)
Former U.S. representative, Maryland
Delaney is no longer running for president. “I support comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. My universal health care plan would cover tax paying legal permanent residents,” Delaney told the Post.
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Tim Ryan (Dropped out)
U.S. representative, Ohio
Ryan is no longer running for president. Ryan does not support covering undocumented immigrants, his campaign told The Post.
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Joe Sestak (Dropped out)
Former U.S. representative, Pennsylvania
Sestak is no longer running for president. “No, but I do believe in their access to medical care that would take them to see a doctor in the emergency room; they must receive treatment,” Sestak told The Post. “I also expect to pass comprehensive immigration reform including a path to citizenship for currently undocumented immigrants, which would result in their being eligible for the same programs as U.S. citizens as they await citizenship.”
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Unclear/No response
Tulsi Gabbard (Dropped out)
U.S. representative, Hawaii
Gabbard is no longer running for president. While Rep. Gabbard is a co-sponsor of Jayapal’s Medicare for All legislation which would do just this, she does not have a specific position on this issue at this time, she told The Post.
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John Hickenlooper (Dropped out)
Former governor, Colorado
Hickenlooper is no longer running for president. “No, not necessarily under a government-run health plan,” Hickenlooper told The Post on June 19. “I would support a public/private sector approach to achieve this goal as it relates to undocumented residents, including continued federal partnership with states that provide coverage for low-income children and prenatal care regardless of status, and enabling undocumented immigrants to have access to state health exchanges. Ultimately, the solution is comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.” But when asked whose plans would provide coverage for undocumented immigrations during the first Democratic debate, Hickenlooper raised his hand. He has not responded to a request for clarification.
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Jay Inslee (Dropped out)
Governor, Washington state
Inslee is no longer running for president. Inslee did not provide an answer to this question.
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Amy Klobuchar (Dropped out)
U.S. senator, Minnesota
Klobuchar is no longer running for president. Klobuchar did not provide an answer to this question.
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Beto O'Rourke (Dropped out)
Former U.S. representative, Texas
O'Rourke is no longer running for president. O'Rourke did not provide an answer to this question.
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Deval Patrick (Dropped out)
Former governor, Massachusetts
Patrick is no longer running for president. Patrick did not answer this question by publication.
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Background Some government health-care plans call for the federal government to fund the health insurance of the approximately 11 million undocumented people living in the United States.
The Post is sending detailed questionnaires to every Democratic candidate asking for their stances on various issues. See all the issues we’ve asked about so far.
See our other questions on health care:
- Do you support Medicare-for-all?
- What should happen to private insurance?
- Do you support creating a public option to expand health care, such as allowing people to buy into a state Medicaid program regardless of income?
- Should there be restrictions on abortion at any point during a healthy pregnancy?
- Do you support having the federal government produce and sell generic drugs to lower drug prices?
- Do you support importing drugs from other countries?
- Do you support giving the federal government the ability to negotiate drug prices for Medicare?
- Do you support partially expanding Medicare by allowing people ages 50 to 64 to buy into Medicare?
- Would you seek to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion?
- Should federal law require all private insurance plans cover abortion?
- Would you reverse the Mexico City policy, which prohibits U.S. funding for foreign organizations that “perform or actively promote” abortion?
How we compiled candidate positions
The Washington Post sent a detailed questionnaire to every Democratic campaign asking whether they support various health-care policies. We organized candidates with similar stances into groups using a combination of those answers, legislative records, action taken in an executive role and other public comments, such as policy discussion on campaign websites, social media posts, interviews, town halls and other news reports. See something that we missed? Let us know.
This page will update as we learn more about the candidates’ plans. We also will note if candidates change their position on an issue. At initial publication, this page included major candidates who had announced a run for president. If a candidate dropped out after a question was published here, their stance is included under the "Show former candidates" option. If they dropped out before a question was first published, the Post did not reach out to get their stance.
Candidate illustrations by Ben Kirchner.