PRESS RELEASE
AAPCHO Commends the Reintroduction of the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act
May 12, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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WASHINGTON – The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) today released the following statement on the reintroduction of the Health Equity and Access Under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act. The legislation would remove barriers and improve immigrant access to health care including for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders served at community health centers.
Adam Carbullido, AAPCHO’s director of policy and advocacy, said:
“Where you were born should not preclude you from being able to access the health care you need. The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is bold legislation that expands immigrants’ access to care and allows them to feel safe when seeking care so they can live healthy, productive lives.”
The HEAL Act corrects long-standing health access inequities faced by immigrants in the United States; specifically, the bill would remove the five-year bar that immigrants must wait out before becoming eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). It would enable undocumented immigrants to purchase health insurance plans from the online Marketplace made available by the Affordable Care Act.
AAPCHO applauds Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Congresswoman Nanette Barragan (CA-44), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) , as well as the 81 original co-sponsors in the House and eight original cosponsors in the Senate, for their continued leadership to improve access for immigrant families. The pandemic has made abundantly clear that our communities are only as healthy as the members in them. AAPCHO with its members and partners encourage Congress to enact the HEAL Act into law.
For more information on the HEAL Act, visit AAPCHO’s partner organization, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum website at: www.napawf.org/heal.
About AAPCHO
AAPCHO is a national association of community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For more information on AAPCHO, please visit www.aapcho.org.
Contact
Kristine Cecile Alarcon, (510) 671-5054, kalarcon@aapcho.org