Jayapal, Booker, and Barragán Reintroduce Legislation to Eliminate Barriers to Health Care for Immigrants

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44), today introduced the Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act. This bicameral bill, co-sponsored by 55 members of Congress and endorsed by more than 100 organizations, removes unnecessary and cruel barriers to health care for millions of immigrants of all statuses.

Immigrants in the United States are far more likely to be uninsured than U.S. citizens. In 2023, half of all undocumented immigrant adults and one in five lawfully present immigrant adults were uninsured. Just 6 percent of naturalized citizen adults and 8 percent of U.S.-born citizens are uninsured.

“Health care is a human right that must be accessible to everyone — regardless of immigration status,” said Representative Jayapal. “As a proud immigrant myself, I know that the HEAL Act is a necessary first step to allow more people across America to access the health care they need to live, making all of our communities healthier. As Republicans in Congress work to strip health coverage away from millions of Americans and further decimate our already broken immigration system, we’re working to ensure everyone in this country is able to see a doctor when they need it.”

“Everyone deserves access to comprehensive, affordable, quality care, and the HEAL Act lifts unnecessary barriers to medical care for immigrants,” said Senator Booker. “A more equitable health care system will help create healthier communities and ensure that all families, regardless of immigration status, have access to the care they need.” 

“Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on your immigration status,” said Representative Barragán. “Healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s time we break down the needless barriers that keep immigrant families from the care they need to survive and thrive. The HEAL Act is a step toward addressing racial health disparities and expanding quality healthcare to everyone in our communities.”

“Withholding health care from immigrants is cruel and doesn’t make our communities safer or healthier,” said Senator Warren. “While the Trump administration continues playing political games with immigrant families, Democrats are fighting to make sure a person’s immigration status doesn’t prevent them from getting life-saving care.”

“As the Trump Administration guts access to health care and basic services for immigrant communities, breaking down barriers to health care for immigrants isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s critical for protecting our public health and economy,” said Senator Padilla. “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world not despite immigrants, but because of their contributions to our workforce. Everyone deserves access to affordable, quality health care no matter their immigration status, and I will keep fighting to continue expanding coverage for these hardworking members of our communities.”

The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act will:

• Restore Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility to lawfully present immigrants;
• Remove discriminatory Medicare restrictions based on length of U.S. residency for green card holders;
• End the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces
• Ensure access to public and affordable coverage for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients;
• Create a state option to expand Medicaid and CHIP to immigrants regardless of immigration status.

“Rep. Jayapal and Sen. Booker continue to be courageous and powerful champions for immigrant communities by reintroducing the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, executive director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “While immigrant families are currently being attacked and torn apart, this bill promotes a vision for what we want for our collective future. A future that supports immigrant communities by removing long standing systemic barriers to health coverage to help our communities access affordable health care. We are especially grateful that Sen. Booker and Rep. Jayapal are introducing this critical legislation today as we mark three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion. That decision has disproportionately harmed immigrant communities, for whom abortion bans, misinformation, and the threat of being detained and separated from our families has increased the barriers that keep us from getting the health care we need,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We urge Congress to protect immigrant communities and pass this bill.”

“The reproductive justice movement teaches us that true justice means being able to have children, not have children, and raise our families in safe, supportive communities,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). “None of that is possible without health care. In a country that has always been shaped by immigrants, we cannot keep allowing people and families, including the Asian American immigrants who make up more than a quarter of immigrants in the U.S., to be shut out from basic health care because of harmful, outdated policies. These are our mothers, our sisters, and our neighbors. The HEAL Act tears down the barriers facing our communities and reaffirms that everyone deserves the right to care, regardless of background, income, or immigration status.”

“Everyone deserves access to health care, no matter who they are or where they come from,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “It is unacceptable and cruel that many are denied affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive health care because of their immigration status. Amid the ongoing attacks on our immigrant communities and our health care, I thank Reps. Jayapal and Barragán and Senator Booker for reintroducing this critical bill that would break down unjust barriers to care for our immigrant families.”

“As a physician, I’ve witnessed the barriers immigrant families face when trying to access health care. Insurance coverage is a cornerstone of meaningful access; without it, care remains out of reach for too many,” said Dr. Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG, President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health. “At a time when attacks on immigrant communities are escalating, we must act now to ensure that everyone—regardless of status—has the right to timely, compassionate, and comprehensive health care. That’s why I join physicians across the country in calling for a swift passage of the HEAL Act. Expanding health coverage to immigrant communities ensures they receive the care they deserve, regardless of their immigration status. Health is a human right and no one should be excluded from receiving healthcare. Congress must pass HEAL – our patients are counting on it.”

“With immigrant families under constant attack, it’s more important than ever to work toward a better, more inclusive future when everyone can get the care we all need,” said Adriana Cadena, campaign director, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition. “We are proud to champion the HEAL Act – a critical step toward that better future.” 

“Now more than ever, it is critical to affirm that everyone—including immigrants—should have access to health care coverage,” said Wendy Cervantes, Director, Immigration and Immigrant Families, CLASP. “Immigrants already face many restrictions to such care and an onslaught of attacks on them and their families’ health and well-being, ranging from the fear created by the Administration’s mass deportation efforts to the deeply harmful budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration. The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is a critical step in moving us back in the right direction by giving children and families access to the health care they need to thrive. CLASP is grateful to Representative Jayapal and Senator Booker for their leadership in promoting a vision that supports health care for all.”

The legislation is also co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), André Carson (IN-07), Troy Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

The legislation is endorsed by AAPI Equity Alliance; AAPI NJ; Advocates for Youth; AFL-CIO; Alianza Nacional de Campesinas; All* Above All; Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment; American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP); Amica Center for Immigrant Rights; Arkansas Black Gay Men’s Forum; Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF); Asian American Federation of Florida; Asian Americans United (AAU); Asian Caribbean Exchange; Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence; Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, Massachusetts; Asian Texans for Justice Action Fund; ASISTA; Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations; Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network; Ayuda; CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network; California Partnership to End Domestic Violence; CASA; Catholics for Choice; Center for Gender & Refugee Studies; Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law; Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Center for Reproductive Rights; Center for Victims of Torture; Children’s HealthWatch; Cleveland Jobs with Justice; Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA); Coalition on Human Needs; Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking; Community Catalyst; Doctors for America ; End SIJS Backlog Coalition; Equality California; Esperanza United; First Focus Campaign for Children; Florida Asian Services ; Freedom Network USA; Georgia Conservation Voters; Global Refugee Awareness Healing Center; Global Urban Cultural Community; Guttmacher Institute; Haven Services Inc. dba Haven Neighborhood Servic; Health Action New Mexico; Healthy Teen Network; Her Justice ; Hispanic Federation; Ibis Reproductive Health; ICAH (Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health); Immigrant Legal Resource Center; Immigrant Welcome Network Johnson County; Immigration Institute of the Bay Area; In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda ; Inclusive Counseling; Indivisible; Institute for Women’s Policy Research; Ipas US; Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health; Justice for Migrant Women; Justice in Aging; KAN-WIN; Kids in Need of Defense (KIND); Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA); Laotian American National Alliance (LANA); Latino; Legal Voice; Maine Equal Justice; MANA, A National Latina Organization; Midwest Access Coalition; Moonbow; National Abortion Federation; National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA); National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF); National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health; National Council of Jewish Women; National Employment Law Project; National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National Health Law Program; National Immigration Law Center; National Korean American Service and Education Consortium; National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice; National Network of Abortion Funds; National Network To End Domestic Violence ; National Organization for Women ; National Partnership for New Americans; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance; National Women’s Law Center Action Fund; NIRH Action Fund; NIWAP, Inc.; Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA); Oasis Legal Services; OCA South Florida Chapter; Our Justice; Oxfam America; People Power United; Physicians for Reproductive Health; Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Plascencia Consulting; Population Connection Action Fund; Positive Women’s Network-USA; Power to Decide; PowHerNY; Prevention Institute; Protecting Immigrant Families; QASPIRA Association; Religious Community for Reproductive Choice; Reproductive Freedom For All; Reproductive Health Access Project; Reproductive Justice Action Collective (ReJAC); Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus; Sarin Gal; Shriver Center on Poverty Law; SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change; Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF); SiX Action; South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA); South Asian SOAR; State Voices Florida; Survivor Justice Center; The Children’s Partnership; The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH); The TransLatin@ Coalition; UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health; UnidosUS; Union for Reform Judaism; United Parent Leaders Action Network; URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity; Voices for Utah Children; Women of Reform Judaism; Women’s Law Project; Women’s Refugee Commission.

Issues: Health Care, Immigration