Menendez Amendment Action Alert

Urgent! You Can Help Ensure Immigrant Inclusion in Health Reform! Contact Your Senators Today to Support Eliminating the Five-Year Waiting Period! We need your help! Since 1996, most low-income lawfully residing immigrants have been denied access to Medicaid during their first five years in the U.S. Now, policymakers have an opportunity to change that: the Senate could vote on an amendment in the next few days that would help restore access to much-needed health coverage for lawfully residing immigrants. Senator Bob Menendez (NJ) has joined with five other senators to introduce Senate Amendment 2991 to health reform legislation. The amendment would give states the option to eliminate the five-year waiting period for lawfully residing immigrants who need access to Medicaid (much like the passage of CHIPRA earlier this year did for lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women). Please take a few minutes to contact both of your senators TODAY! Click here to find your senators’ contact information – you can write an email or call their DC office. You can also call the Capitol Hotline at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to your senators’ offices. Please share this message: I'm calling to urge you to support Senate Amendment 2991. This amendment helps restore fairness to our health care system, removing an arbitrary five-year waiting period that prevents legal immigrants from obtaining Medicaid, should they fall into poverty. These hard-working members of society pay taxes at the same rate as citizens, and they should be entitled to receive the same benefits. Improving access to health coverage for legal immigrants will help keep our communities healthy.