This policy brief from the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum makes the case for including health insurance coverage as part of “commonsense” immigration reform. The policy brief highlights how new legal permanent residents remain ineligible for Medicaid for five years, Compact of Free Association migrants from Pacific Island jurisdictions are excluded from Medicaid, and undocumented immigrants are excluded from voluntarily purchasing health insurance through the new health insurance marketplaces being established through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Immigration reform legislation can address these issues so that national health care reform is inclusive of more Americans.
Ignatius Bau 