On The Path Toward Health for All

Every person in this country should be able to get health care when they need it, no matter the color of their skin, how much money they have, or where they were born. It’s really that simple.

This moral principle, coupled with clear evidence that expansion of health insurance leads to higher productivity and economic growth, led to a significant overhaul of the U.S. health care system in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Nonetheless, despite improving access to health care for many, the ACA crystalized the most striking disparity: federal law makes undocumented immigrants generally ineligible for affordable health coverage.

Under this post-ACA reality, around half of adult undocumented immigrants and 18 percent of lawfully present adults lack health insurance, compared with 8 percent for U.S.-born citizens. No other demographic is subject to statutory barriers that result in this level of inequity.

Many immigrants and their allies have refused to accept these senseless restrictions as the final answer. Inspiring movements toward Health for All—access to affordable health care for all residents, regardless of immigration status—have gained momentum in states, cities, and counties across the country. Creative advocates and policymakers have sought to use every available option to create paths to coverage for immigrant members of their communities, and when no option existed, they created their own paths.