EMBARC in the news: Barred from Medicaid, some pregnant immigrants have few options for care

Iowa Public Radio: “Last spring, two pregnant women who had recently arrived from Myanmar showed up at Abigail Sui’s home in Des Moines, Iowa. They needed help finding prenatal care.

Sui, a program director for EMBARC, an Iowa-based nonprofit that supports immigrants, figured she could help these women navigate the health care system.

“Because I have been working with EMBARC for eight years, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I can advocate because people might listen,’” she said. “I thought my voice would be heard by people, but in reality, it’s not at all.”

Even though the women are in the U.S. on visas, they couldn’t get Medicaid due to a federal law that bars many immigrants on visas and green cards from receiving public assistance, including Medicaid, for their first five years in the country. States can choose to opt people out of this waiting period when they’re pregnant. But many states — including the Midwest states of Missouri, Indiana and Iowa — haven’t done this.”

Abigail's interview is part of a larger report exploring the systemic challenges created by a federal law, and potential solutions that could help mothers. Side Effects Public Media is a news collaboration between public radio stations in five midwestern states. Read or listen to the full story:

Barred from Medicaid, some pregnant immigrants have few options for care