Sacramento, CA – The 10,000-member California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) opposes a federal rule that would make it more likely that lawfully present immigrants could be denied green cards or U.S. visas – or even be deported – because they sought needed health care services.
“This is much more than an issue related to immigration and the undocumented,” stated Dr. Walter Mills, President of the California Academy of Family Physicians. “Discouraging the use of health care services is inhumane for the individual and could be devastating for communities, immigrants and citizens alike.”
“This is a public health issue. Disease does not know borders. As family physicians, we understand the importance of primary and preventive care in protecting the health of all Californians.”
The Trump Administration recently proposed a change to immigration policy that would overhaul how the government evaluates whether an immigrant is “likely to be a public charge,” that is, someone who would use publicly funded benefits in the United States.
CAFP believes communities are safer and healthier when all individuals, regardless of immigration status, have access to health care. It is CAFP policy that health care is a human right and every person has a right to comprehensive, high-quality health services delivered in a timely, culturally competent and economically sustainable manner, regardless of their age, gender identity, sexual orientation, geographic location, income, health status or immigration status.
We stand prepared to oppose any federal policy that threatens the public health and the well-being of our patients.
CAFP is the largest primary care medical society in California and the largest chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians
