Immigrant and low-income families of color face obstacles to good healthcare at every turn.
Attacks on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid threaten to leave millions of people uninsured. Immigrants must navigate complex healthcare systems in an unfamiliar language, with the risk of disastrous consequences.
These communities also struggle with a variety of health problems, including very high rates of diabetes and asthma. Without access to nutritious food, quality healthcare, and health insurance, their options for adequately caring for themselves and their loved ones are limited.
Expanding coverage, transforming health systems, and providing critical services
Make the Road New York is fighting for good, affordable healthcare access to build safe, healthy communities. We defend the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid from threats to dismantle it, mobilizing thousands into the streets with our allies at crucial moments. We serve on statewide coalition steering committees to implement the Affordable Care Act and improve access to coverage at the state level. We also co-lead the Coverage for All campaign to expand coverage to immigrants regardless of immigration status.
Our goal is to build a healthcare system that works for everyone–regardless of income, medical history, or immigration status. We have won:
- A state requirement for hospitals and major pharmacies to offer translation and interpretation services
- Paid sick days for all New York City employees
- An expansion of Medicaid to include critical medical care for trans and gender non-conforming individuals in New York State
- Pre-qualification for emergency Medicaid for undocumented immigrants, ensuring people have access to life-saving healthcare regardless of immigration status
In addition to organizing and advocacy, we offer critical services to immigrant and low-income communities of color. Every year, we help thousands improve their health. We provide one-on-one assistance with health insurance enrollment, hospital bill negotiation, health system navigation, Community Health Worker training and in-home services, and HIV testing referrals. Through food stamp enrollment, nutrition education, emergency food services, and our food pantries, we are ensuring our communities no longer go hungry.
- Thanks to our advocacy with allies, New York State is guaranteeing Medicaid eligibility for DACA recipients, regardless of federal changes to DACA.
- We successfully pushed New York State to protect its ACA data from misuse by ICE officials, enabling New Yorkers to access healthcare regardless of immigration status.
- Community Health Workers help 300 families improve their children’s health each year through home visits and culturally competent health counseling.
- In 2016, 2,500 people stopped being hungry as a result of our food stamp enrollment program.
Maria Rubio is a survivor – she survived persecution in her home country, and later, cancer. As a housekeeper, Maria could not afford the exams and medication needed to keep her disease in remission. We enrolled Maria in Medicaid to help cover the costs. Without health insurance, Maria says, she may not be alive today.
Now, Maria is a leader in defending the Affordable Care Act from numerous efforts to repeal it, speaking out, mobilizing others, and helping to create important communication tools to highlight the importance of the ACA for our communities.
Fight for the right to healthcare
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