• Health Care Index

TELL CONGRESS TO TREAT IMMIGRANTS FAIRLY

Health Reform Must Open Medicaid
to Legal Immigrants

Wednesday, OCTOBER 21, 2009

It is critical that the House of Representatives eliminate the five-year waiting period for legal immigrants in Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP when it moves its health care reform legislation forward this week.  As it stands now, most recent legal immigrants are forced to wait five years before using these programs, even though they pay the same taxes as citizens to support these programs.

As the U.S. House of Representatives moves to finalize its health care reform legislation this week, immigrants continue to be left out.  Your voice is needed to urge the House of Representatives to act right now to give immigrants a fair opportunity for affordable health insurance.  It is critical that the House of Representatives takes action now to end the unfair 5-year bar in Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP (the Children's Health Insurance Program).  This will happen only if enough people call and demand fairness.  

Please make phone calls to three key members of the House of Representatives on Thursday, October 22:  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and your representative (the member of the House who represents your district). 

Here's the key message to share when you call these members of the House: 

"I want to end the five-year waiting period for legal immigrants in Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP.  I expect Congress to do the right thing and treat legal immigrants the same as citizens in health care reform." 

CONTACT . . .

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-0100 or by email at http://speaker.house.gov/contact/

• Majority Leader Steny Hoyer at 202-225 -3130 or by email at: http://democraticleader.house.gov/email_and_rss/email_the_leader/

• Find your representative:

  • Use this directory or go to http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/index.html.

  • Or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your representative's office.  Or call the number listed in this directory. 

ADDITIONAL TALKING POINTS AND MATERIALS

• Five Year Bar Fact Sheet and Talking Points

• Including Legal Immigrants in Health Care Reform: Just What the Doctor Ordered (Immigration Policy Center)

Unless Congress hears from you, legal immigrants with limited income will be left out of health care reform and will not be able to find affordable health insurance for themselves and their family.  Please take a moment to call Congress, and please also pass this message along to your friends.