For Immediate Release: December 2, 2016
Immigrants are often denied access to the health care programs their tax dollars support. Almost two decades ago, politicians began enacting harmful restrictions that put affordable health coverage out of reach for millions of immigrants in the United States. These policy and legal barriers undermine access to life-saving preventive and primary care, threaten the economic security of families and communities, and limit the ability of immigrants to fully contribute to our nation’s shared prosperity. These restrictions disproportionately harm women, who are the majority of immigrants. Immigrant women are also particularly likely to be low-income, young and uninsured –all characteristics linked to a high risk of negative health outcomes. All immigrants authorized to live and work in the United States deserve to be treated fairly by the health care system to which they contribute by eliminating the costly and counterproductive barriers immigrants face to the health care they need. It’s essential that immigration policy reform ensure that all members of our families and communities can live with health and dignity.
Solutions:
– Remove restrictions and barriers to eligibility for immigrant families.
– Remove the exclusion that prohibits DACA-eligible individuals from accessing health care through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
– Support initiatives to expand access to healthcare for immigrant and refugee populations, such as state innovation waivers to allow undocumented immigrants to purchase health plans.