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As a voice foi its membei community health centeis anu its immigiant patient populations,
AAPCB0 believes that all inuiviuuals have a iight to puichase anu ieceive health caie seivices. In
oiuei foi safety net of health caie pioviueis to continue to uelivei compiehensive health caie to
these populations anu iemain sustainable, we must giant gieatei access to health caie seivices foi
immigiant populations.


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Common-sense immigiation iefoim shoulu inciease access to health caie without long
waiting peiious oi iestiictions foi lawfully piesent immigiants. AAPCB0 believes giving
eveiyone equal access to health caie, makes Ameiica a stiongei anu healthiei nation.
AAPCB0 believes eveiyone, whethei citizen oi immigiant, has the iight to quality,
affoiuable health caie. That's why oui community health centeis seive ovei SSu,uuu
patients, many of which aie limiteu English pioficient anu uninsuieu.
The Piesiuent piomiseu that immigiation iefoim woulu ensuie that, "folks who aie heie
legally have access to affoiuable, quality health insuiance... just like eveiybouy else." We
think he shoulu stick to that piomise.
AAPCB0 community health centeis, as pait of its mission, alieauy seive all patients that
come thiough its uoois, iegaiuless of theii immigiation status oi ability to pay. It's the
iight thing to uo anu it helps keep eveiyone healthy. Ameiica shoulu uo the same.

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It is moially wiong to pievent lawfully piesent immigiants who have eaineu theii iight to
be heie, fiom accessing the seivices that they've paiu taxes to suppoit, foi five yeais. In one
Noithein Califoinia community health centei alone, an estimateu S,uuu patients woulu
gain access to health coveiage by eliminating this aibitiaiy iule.
Ameiica shoulun't be in the business of uenying lawfully piesent immigiants the ability to
live healthy lives anu pioviue quality health caie foi theii families. A five-yeai waiting
peiiou just uoesn't make sense.
Immigiants, incluuing the unuocumenteu, paiu $11.2 billion in state anu local taxes in 2u1u
alone. Eveiyone who woiks haiu, pays taxes, anu eains theii iight to stay heie lawfully,
shoulu not be uenieu the ability to see a uoctoi oi puichase health insuiance.






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Nigiants fiom the C0FA states of the Feueiateu States of Nicionesia, Republic of Palau anu
Republic of the Naishall Islanus, weie excluueu fiom Neuicaiu uue to an oveisight in
1996.
1
It's time foi the feueial goveinment to coiiect that mistake.
C0FA migiants aie in this countiy legally, pay taxes, woik haiu, anu play by the iules. They
shoulu be gianteu access to Neuicaiu to ensuie that they anu theii families have the health
coveiage they neeu, just like eveiyone else.

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Benying anyone the ability to see a uoctoi is the wiong way to piotect Ameiica's public
health. Naking suie that immigiants can get the piimaiy anu pieventive caie they neeu at
community health centeis ensuies that eveiyone, incluuing oui chiluien, stays healthy.
We shoulu make it sustainable foi community health centeis anu othei safety net hospitals
to pioviue cost-effective pieventive health caie, which saves billions in uncompensateu
emeigency ioom caie anu loweis costs foi eveiyone. Allowing immigiants to access
piimaiy anu pieventive health caie is a necessaiy step.

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B0:

Say "new Ameiican", "aspiiing Ameiican" to uesciibe all immigiants. Say
"unauthoiizeu" oi "unuocumenteu" to uesciibe immigiants living in the 0.S.
without goveinment authoiization.
B0N'T:

Nevei say "illegal" to uesciibe a peison oi immigiation status. No human being is
"illegal" anu this woiu uehumanizes immigiants, making it easiei foi opponents to
uemonize them.
B0: 0se woius like "ioaumap" oi "eaineu iight" to uesciibe the piocess foi inuiviuuals
to obtain citizenship. Think: "paths" aie useu by animals, "ioaus" aie useu by
people.
B0N'T: Nevei use language that blames immigiants foi theii place in society oi ability to
paiticipate in the health caie system. Take caie to iuentify misguiueu policies as
the culpiit insteau.
B0: Besciibe shaieu values like "health equity" anu "cieating oppoitunities", which is
oui unassailable moial high giounu. Cieating policies that offei citizenship foi
"new Ameiicans" anu "aspiiing citizens" is a winnei foi most Ameiicans.


1
Nigiants living in the 0S unuei the teims of the Compact of Fiee Association (C0FA) weie eiioneously left off the list of "eligible immigiants" foi feueial piogiams, incluuing Neuicaiu, uuiing
passage of the Peisonal Responsibility anu Woik 0ppoitunity Reconciliation Act in 1996.