Protecting the Health of our Nation’s Essential Workers: Congress Must Lift the “Five-Year Bar” on Medicaid and CHIP

As Congress continues to address the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that they take immediate action to address a longstanding, unnecessary gap in health coverage by lifting the five-year bar that blocks lawfully present immigrant families from accessing insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Congress must lift the five-year bar because:

• Public health and safety depend on comprehensive, community-wide health coverage.
• Coverage gaps create ripple effects on the entire health system.
• Particularly in light of COVID-19, the five-year bar is outdated and does not align with current health care or immigration systems.
• Eligible families deserve access to programs their tax dollars pay for.