Immigrants in the United States face substantial barriers to health care due to a wide range of institutional barriers, regardless of their legal status. Immigrant’s barriers to care include: a five-year waiting period before documented immigrants can access Medicaid, a total ban on undocumented immigrants’ access to health insurance plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, and concerns about immigration enforcement actions at or near health centers. Many immigrant communities also face systemic discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and national origin, leading to poorer health outcomes, including for family planning and sexual health.  

NFPRHA's Work

NFPRHA works to ensure health services are accessible for and welcoming to immigrant communities and to advocate for health care policies that promote, rather than hinder, health care and coverage. As part of that commitment, NFPRHA supports the availability of Title X-funded care for all, regardless of immigration and documentation status. NFPRHA supports the HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act, legislation that would remove barriers to health coverage for immigrants. 

Policy & Service Delivery Resources

• Immigrant Women’s Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Coverage and Care in the United States - Guttmacher Institute
• Public Charge: What Advocates Need to Know Now - Protecting Immigrant Families
• Public Charge: Know Your Rights - Protecting Immigrant Families
• National Standards for Providing Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care - US Department of Health and Human Services
• Letter in support for the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act of 2019

Articles

• Barriers to Reproductive Justice While Detained - ACLU
• Crossing the Intersection of Immigration and Reproductive Justice - National Women’s Health Network
• Five Ways Immigration Justice is Reproductive Justice - Center for American Progress

Key Organizations and Initiatives

• Black Alliance for Just Immigration
• National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
• National Immigration Law Center
• National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
• Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign