States Advance Policies to Help Immigrants Stay Healthy While Feds Are at a Standstill
Congressional inaction on immigration reform is effectively leaving a huge void, and states have been stepping up to fill that void with public policies that reflect reality. Last week, we saw another example of the consequences of this federal inaction. The United States Supreme Court, reduced to eight Justices due to Congress’s failure to hold hearings on President Obama’s appointment to fill the Scalia vacancy, failed to reach a majority opinion and instead affirmed the Fifth Circuit Court’s ruling in United States v. Texas. This failure left intact a preliminary injunction blocking the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and the expansion of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) programs. These programs promised temporary relief from deportation for an estimated four million immigrants — long-term residents who are raising families, running businesses, and contributing to the vibrancy of our communities.
Importantly, the deferred action policy that has been in place for the last four years is not affected by this ruling. President Obama stated that with DACA+ and DAPA he has pushed to the limits of his executive authority. Immigrant organizations and their allies will continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform.
In the meantime, states and local governments are leading the way to craft policies that affect immigrants that are both compassionate and commonsense. On the healthcare front, a growing number of states and local governments are doing their part to provide immigrants with the health coverage they need in order to grow and thrive. Immigrants work, play, pay taxes, go to school, raise their families, ride the bus, and live their lives alongside non-immigrants everyday. Given that, many states have correctly reasoned that providing public health care coverage for all people improves the immunity and safety of the entire community by reducing communicable diseases. These states have decided that immigrants should have access to immunizations, vaccinations, doctor’s visits, and hospitalizations if they need it, as well as the long-term benefits that health coverage provides.
Five states and the District of Columbia provide public health insurance to undocumented children, and counties and cities throughout our country have created programs that increase access to primary and specialty health care for low-income uninsured individuals, including undocumented adults. Illinois is a leader on this front. Through its All Kids program, Illinois was the first state to provide health insurance to low-income children regardless of immigration status. As a result, Illinois has one of the lowest uninsurance rates for children in this country — and it continues to lead by building a campaign to provide statewide health coverage for the remaining uninsured, including undocumented adults, as well as exploring other ways to increase access to health care. California’s governor and legislature just asked the federal government for permission to allow undocumented adults to purchase unsubsidized private health insurance on their state-based marketplace. California and New York provide health coverage to DACA status individuals. Advocates in New York are proposing innovative coverage options for uninsured immigrants, and New York City launched a pilot of its program to increase uninsured immigrants’ access to health care. Minnesota’s Health Care Financing Task Force recommended expanding eligibility of its public insurance program, Minnesota Care, to include undocumented immigrants.
Millions of immigrants are rooted in this country and deserve to be able to come out of the shadows and fully participate in every aspect of society. States and local governments are pushing the envelope to craft health care policies that reflect this reality. Hopefully, people working in the highest levels of the branches of our federal government will be inspired to do the same.
