FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 29, 2020
Contact: Donna De La Cruz
(202) 441-3798 / ddelacruz@napawf.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted on H.R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, which would expand coverage of the ACA, increase its affordability subsidies, lower drug prices, and address racial health disparities. It also enables Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to enroll in ACA Marketplace coverage.
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow issued the following statement in response:
“Following last week’s Supreme Court victory allowing the DACA program to stand, we applaud the inclusion of DACA recipients in today’s health care bill. Health care should not depend on immigration status, yet our current health care system leaves an unreliable patchwork of unaffordable options for some of our most marginalized communities. This is why NAPAWF has been advocating for the HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act, led by Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Deb Haaland and Senator Cory Booker. We must continue to close the policy and legal barriers that make affordable care out of reach, including the five year bar that prevents many immigrants from enrolling in Medicaid and CHIP. Today’s victory demonstrates the resilience of our communities in our demands for access to health care, and we will continue fighting until affordable health care becomes a reality for women of all immigration statuses.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.