Immigration Policies and Prenatal Care: Perspectives of Philadelphia Immigrant Birthing People
Since 2016, enactment of more punitive immigration policies resulted in more people avoiding health care and other public services in the U.S. Passage of policies such as the 2019 “public charge” rule change, which expanded the rules by which immigrants could be denied access to permanent legal status in the country, have well-documented “chilling effects” that lead to decreased health care utilization among immigrants, including those who are pregnant.
Even after punitive policies are reversed, fear of deportation and other legal consequences, confusion, and misinformation continue to prevent immigrant families from utilizing health care even when eligible.
This Research at a Glance brief highlights PolicyLab qualitative research that sought to better understand the prenatal care experiences of immigrant Latiné birthing people who had babies after the 2019 expansion of the public charge rule. Our findings also emphasize ways health care providers and health systems can help make pregnant immigrants feel more comfortable attending prenatal care visits.