The first four columns of Table 3 summarize the evidence. The table clearly shows that
the decisions made by some states to offer a state-funded safety net to their immigrant
populations did not greatly alter the trend of Medicaid participation for native households.
For example, the probability that natives are enrolled in Medicaid declined by about 2–3
percentage points during the period, regardless of whether the state was generous to its
immigrant population. In contrast, the state decisions had a greater impact on Medicaid
enrollment rates among immigrants, both for naturalized citizens and non-citizens. For
example, the fraction of citizens enrolled in Medicaid declined by 1.5 percentage points
in the less-generous states, but rose in the more generous states. Similarly, the fraction
of non-citizens enrolled in Medicaid declined by 7.0 percentage points (from 18.1 to
11.1%) in the less generous states, but by 4.9 percentage points in the more generous
states (from 21.0 to 16.1%). It is clear that non-citizen households in the less generous
states experienced a much larger relative decline in Medicaid participation than native
households