Washington, DC – If you get your healthcare benefits from the New Jersey marketplace, your costs are increasing by as much as 20% next year. One New Jersey senator wants to further compound that problem and have taxpayers subsidize free benefits for illegal aliens.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) reintroduced legislation aimed at removing barriers that prevent millions of immigrants from accessing health coverage in the United States.
The Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act would restore access to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for federally authorized immigrants by eliminating the five-year waiting period and expanding eligibility. It would also end the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from Affordable Care Act marketplaces and extend coverage options to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
Booker, Jayapal, and Barragán were joined by a slate of Senate co-sponsors, including Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA). The lawmakers said the measure seeks to address inequities in the U.S. health system, where immigrants are significantly more likely than citizens to be uninsured.
“Everyone deserves access to comprehensive, affordable, quality care, and the HEAL Act lifts unnecessary barriers to medical care for immigrants,” Booker said. Jayapal, who chairs the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, called the bill a “necessary first step” toward ensuring access for immigrant families. Barragán emphasized that health care “shouldn’t depend on your immigration status.”
National advocacy groups, including the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the National Immigration Law Center, endorsed the proposal. Leaders from these organizations said the bill addresses systemic inequities and advances reproductive and immigrant justice.
The bill comes as Congress remains divided on immigration and health care policy, with Democrats framing the legislation as a public health necessity and opponents signaling resistance to expanding federal benefits.
Key Points
- Senator Cory Booker and Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Nanette Diaz Barragán reintroduced the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act.
- The bill would expand Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA marketplace access to millions of immigrants, including DACA recipients.
- Immigrant rights and health advocacy groups strongly back the legislation.
Lawmakers say the measure is about health equity, while its fate in Congress remains uncertain.
