The U.S Needs to Make it Easier for Immigrants to Access Healthcare

Health care is a human right and yet immigrants in the US cannot receive appropriate health insurance coverage or healthcare because of their immigration status. Abbey Zhu, member of the Chicago chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), Luisa Cuautle, activist with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (NLIRJ) and Candace Gibson, Associate Director of Government Relations at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice sit down with us to talk about the HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act and how the legislation will ensure access to quality, affordable, and dependable healthcare coverage for all immigrants.

Already in the United States, access to healthcare for immigrants can be completely variable on an individual’s personal immigrant status. The Trump administration made it not only much more difficult for immigrants to access healthcare, but also much more intimidating. Policies instituted under the administration these past four years (like public charge and ICE raid concerns) have created a ‘chilling effect’ for immigrant communities who seek healthcare access. Access to insurance and healthcare for immigrants can also be dependent upon factors such as job flexibility, access to transportation, and geographic location. This is important considering that the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately impacting immigrant communities. Over 5 million undocumented individuals and over 200,000 individuals who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) are essential workers in the US.

The HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act would remove the legal and policy barriers that block immigrants from accessing care. The act would repeal the 5-year waiting period that green card holders must wait to be able to access healthcare in the US, prevent migrants from Compact of Free Association (COFA) states from being ineligible for Medicaid, ensure that undocumented individuals would be able to buy Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace insurance, and make sure that those who have DACA status could access Medicaid, CHIP, and participate in the ACA. When it comes to the upcoming Biden-Harris administration, there are many steps that can be taken to make sure immigrants can have expanded access to healthcare, including allowing DACA recipients to be included in the ACA and eliminating public charge.

Links from this episode

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
More information on the HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act

Transcript

Jennie: Welcome to RePROs Fight Back, a podcast where we explore all things reproductive health, rights and justice. I'm your host, Jennie Wetter, and I'll be helping you stay informed around issues like birth control, abortion, sex education and LGBTQ issues and much, much more-- giving you the tools you need to take action and fight back. Okay, let's dive in.

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Jennie: Welcome to this week's episode of RePROs Fight Back. I'm your host, Jennie Wetter, and my preferred pronouns are she/her

Jennie: So, y'all, this has been a week. Uh, this is my first week back after being on vacation for a week and a half, which was delightful. You know, I didn't think about all of the things going on and I did some baking. I promised y'all I was going to do one more, uh, uh, things that intimidated me or challenged me. And so I made cinnamon rolls and they were delightful and so good. Uh, half of them are in the freezer right now, so that I can have them as I need them later. I watched a bunch of movies and TV and did some knitting. It was just so relaxing. Um, and then I'm recording this on the Friday before the episode comes out. Um, which I feel like I need to say because there are so many things happening and who knows what will happen between now and Tuesday. Um, you know, this week has just, like I said, it's been a week, you know, at the beginning of the week was just, you know, coming back from vacation, trying to catch up on all the emails. And, um, we're releasing a report soon that I have been busy writing and working on, so doing all of the work on that to get it to the designer. And then we have Wednesday with the flipping the Georgia, um, flipping the Senate with the special elections in Georgia. And I don't know about y'all, but I am in just absolute, utter awe of all of the hard work that was put in by organizers in Georgia, particularly Black and Brown women who did so much work to get us to this point flipping the Senate. I mean, it's going to mean, uh, good things for so, so many issues, but since this podcast talks about reproductive health, rights and justice, hopefully it will mean really good things for reproductive health, rights and justice. Um, so that was such a hopeful happy morning. Um, and it's weird to think back on and hard…like it's hard to remember the hope and excitement because of what happened that afternoon at the Capitol. Um, I'm still processing it and lots, lots of emotions, uh, rage, anger, heartbreak, just all of them all at once. Um, it was, I was feeling very lucky that our office is still working from home because our office is right in that area. I was worried about friends who live in that area. Um, it was just so many things all at once. Um, like I said, rage and anger to see white supremacists, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists rioting through the United States Capitol. Um, that is something I had never wanted to see and I can't believe was happening. I mean, can't believe isn't maybe… not quite the right word. Yeah.

Jennie: Um, it was shocking. Um, not surprising but shocking. There are so many questions I have around what happened. But you know, I think something that a lot of people have been trying to remind people of is that we live here. This is our city. Um, it's not just the seat of the government. So, a lot of us are processing it as you know, also an attack on where we live. Um, and there are so many other people who are processing it in other ways, too, right? Like to me. And I think so many people have pointed out and hopefully everybody was able to recognize the way the police confronted or didn't confront a bunch of rioting white supremacists, domestic terrorists, attacking the nation's capital was so much different than the way the police confronted Black Lives Matter protesters. And that is something we all need to sit with and be uncomfortable about. We need to be uncomfortable that this is what is happening. Um, so much needs to change and be fixed. And I really hope that, um, January 20th, when we have the new administration coming in, that we are on a path that is going to start making these changes happen because clearly, we cannot go on the way we have been going. Um, it needs to get better. And we're all part of that, right? Like we all have things we need to do to make this place better. Um, so I'm going to be spending time, um, again, contemplating things that I need to do and steps I need to take to make sure that we are making a more just world. So along those lines, we were also talking about a more just world on the podcast this week. Um, and originally this was recorded before all of these events. So, we definitely don't talk about them. Um, but we are talking about immigrants’ access to healthcare, and that is a very important issue. And it was a really wonderful conversation that I got to have with three wonderful advocates. Um, so I had on this week's episode, Candace Gibson at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, we talked to Abbey Zhu at the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum and Luisa Cuautle, with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. Um, we had a great conversation about immigrant access to reproductive healthcare and things that need to happen to make sure that it is, um, more equitable, and happening. So with that, I will take you to my interview with Candace, Abbey and Luisa.

Jennie: Hi everybody. Thank you so much for being here with me today.

All: Thank you.

Jennie: I'm really excited. We have three amazing guests and because we have three, I'm definitely going to let them introduce themselves. So, one, you hear what everybody's pronouns and stuff are, but two, so you can know recognize voices. And who's talking when, so I guess let's start with Abbey.

Abbey: Hi, my name is Abbey. My pronouns are she/her, and I'm a member of the Chicago chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's forum or NAPAWF. And we are the only multi-issue community organization in the country that is building power with Asian American and Pacific Islander women, girls and nonbinary people.

Jennie: Great. Luisa?

Luisa: Hi, uh, my name is Luisa Cuautle. My pronouns are she/her/hers, and I am an activist at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. I am also a DACA recipient-- deferred action for childhood arrivals. Uh, and it's a specific status for people who were brought to the country, uh, under the age of 16. Um, and it was something that was passed in 2012, I believe.

Jennie: Great. Um, Candace?

Candace: Good morning, everyone, and fellow podcast listeners. Uh, my name is Candace Gibson and I'm the Associate Director of Government Relations at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, [where we fight for the] power to fight for the fundamental human right to reproductive health at dignity and justice. Uh, we fight for equal access to reproductive health for Latinas, Latin X communities, and we are a national organization headquartered in New York city and with offices in Washington, DC, New York, Texas, and Virginia, and my pronouns are she her and hers.

Jennie: Great. I'm really excited to talk about HEAL today, but I guess before we talk about, um, the HEAL Act, maybe we should talk about why it's important. So what are some of the hurdles that immigrants are facing when they're trying to access healthcare?

Luisa: So, yeah. Um, I think it really varies on where you are in the country. Um, my understanding of my sisters out in Florida and Texas is that they have to, um, they're really scared of going to see a doctor or seeing somebody because they have this 100 mile zone rule where border patrol can just stop you and, um, ask you for a checkpoint and start seeing your documentation. Right? Um, I think that, you know, that's an extremely scary thing to have to worry about when you're in the middle of like a healthcare crisis, right? When you might need to go to the ER, and you can't go because you're scared of that. Um, and you know, also just knowing that like in places that don't have a lot of public health systems, a large public health system, um, you have to drive hours and hours and hours to see somebody which makes it really inaccessible. Right? Um, so yeah, I think that it really varies on like where you are in the country and like what your specific immigration status is just like we're access to healthcare. And I, we don't think it should be the case. Right? We should think that everyone should have access to healthcare regardless of your immigration status, how long you've been here, how much money you have and all of that.

Abbey: Yeah. And similarly, I, my grandma is a green card holder, so I'm not like super directly affected by the HEAL Act because I'm a U.S. citizen, but my grandma is from China and she has a green card so that she can visit my family as often as she wants to. Um, but when she got cancer around six years ago, she couldn't get treatment in the U.S. because of the five-year bar on Medicaid and CHIP for a green card holder. So like Luisa was saying like access to healthcare completely differs based on immigration status, but even my grandma who has a green card and is extremely privileged to be able to have a green card still couldn't access Medicaid in the U.S. when she had cancer, because of that, five-year waiting period on Medicaid. So she had to get treatment by herself in China and my aunt and my mom couldn't go visit her because of work. And I remember I was a freshman in high school and I was so confused. My parents were like, yeah, your grandma has cancer, but she can't get treatment in the U.S. and I like, didn't know what was going on and they wouldn't want to talk. They didn't want to talk about it at all. Um, but yeah, the fact that she had to be like an 80-year-old woman by herself in China and her kids couldn't go visit her to take care of her while she was getting treated, um, was really, really hard.

Jennie: Yeah. I think it's, you said it's complicated. Right? And I know the Trump administration also played their part in making it that much harder or more intimidating for, uh, immigrants to access healthcare.

Candace: Yeah. And I think, you know, both to Abbey and Luisa’s, stories really illuminate what happens when you can't access coverage on the basis of immigration status, but also like what you mentioned, Jennie, right? Like the Trump administration during the last four years has instituted policies that have created a chilling effect in this country for immigrant communities who want to access care. You know, we have the public charge regulation. There was a concern about enforcement, uh, immigration enforcement rates, uh, during the last several summers as well. And so, you know, the barrier to insurance coverage is quite high, right? Like, if, if, if you, if you can't afford health insurance or healthcare, right? You're not going to get it. But then once it starts inter connecting and, uh, interplaying with other factors such as fear around immigration enforcement, right? Whether if you're in Texas, for example, and geographic accessibility for providers, or if you even have a job, right.? That lets you take time off to go see a provider, all of those factors come into play, especially for immigrant communities. And so that's something we have to keep in mind, even when we're talking about coverage.

Luisa: Yeah. I think I would just add on to like the last thing that Candace said that like I, myself, you know, um, throughout college I was working full-time at a fast food restaurant and it was extremely hard for me to get, um, time off to go to my appointments. Right? And there was like a whole year that he didn't go see a doctor. And I think I was fine at the time. I was like super young, like a college student, pretty healthy. So it wasn't like that much of a big deal. But there's people that don't have that. Um, now, you know, I'm working full time at a nonprofit. I have insurance through my employer and it's so much easier for me to just request time off. And so like, I could see that difference of like, it's a different level of status. And it's just like crazy how, you know, people who are like working full-time jobs sometimes can't get access to take time off just to take care of themselves. Um, and it's incredibly hard when you just like, don't even have access to insurance. So, um, yeah. As a person that experienced it, it just boggles my mind that how like inaccessible it could be.

Jennie: And I think adding on top of all of this right now, we'd be entirely remiss if we didn't mention the pandemic right now and the disproportionate impact it is having on immigrant communities.

Candace: Yeah. I mean, the numbers are astounding, right. I think I was reading one report that showed that over, you know, 5 million undocumented individuals are essential workers. Um, and my understanding too is that's like over 200,000 recipients, we have deferred action for childhood arrivals status, they're also essential workers. So just imagine, you know, these are individuals who are getting food on our tables, they're going to grocery stores, they're manning or public transit systems. And they're also working and providing support and healthcare facilities. And we just, you know, the pandemic has really shown what happens when you let health inequities fester. Right? I mean, these communities have already, our communities have already faced so many barriers to accessing care and coverage. And so just when you have something like this, the pandemic, you know, people are really making hard choices about whether they show up to work sick or, you know, do they decide to stay home and lose a paycheck? And so I think, you know, as we try to, as we try to build a more equitable country moving forward, we definitely have to look at the role of healthcare access and coverage.

Luisa: Yeah. I think that, um, if you just take a look and at the stuff that was being said back when New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic, right? And back when, um, most of the attention was around Elmer's Queens. Elmer's Queens and its surrounding neighborhoods of Jackson Heights and Corona are neighborhoods that are heavily like immigrant populated. And that's why they were relying on this one hospital Elmer’s hospital. Because it's a public hospital. So the hospital that people could have access to. Um, and it was really scary when you were looking at the lines at the videos of the people making online around the block of the hospital. Cause there's this one hospital that all these people have access to and they were just overwhelmed and overflowing. Um, and like you could see, you could go back to do a Google search and see like Elmer’s hospital Queens during the pandemic. And you'll see how, how people just didn't have access to, um, you know, hospitals during the pandemic. And there was just like, they were relying on this one small hospital and people were dying.

Jennie: Yeah. That definitely brings us to like another thing that is obviously too big for this episode, but just how hospitals are getting consolidated. And there's so many fewer public hospitals where people can go and easily get access to care. And I know that's outside of the scope of this episode, but is absolutely relevant to this episode completely.

Candace: I mean, and you also, I mean, Jennie, you and I [laughs] from working from working in the repo space, right? Like the attack on sexual reproductive health care providers have also… there definitely is an impact from that in this situation. Right? Especially, you know, when immigrant communities, I know like Latinos and Latinx, rely on Title X health centers to access primary care. So I can only imagine like Luisa’s scenario playing out right. At these other types. I mean, I don't know, but like you can imagine, right. The effect of the pandemic on these providers as well. Right. And the frustration that must be playing and happening for both providers and patients.

Jennie: Yeah. The loss of a trusted provider, like that's where you would go to get your healthcare and it's no longer accessible to you. There's like this other hurdle that now you have to go to someone that you're not as familiar with, or maybe there isn't another easily available, um, public provider in your area. Like it all, just all of the things layer on top of each other to just make access that much harder.

Candace: Yeah. I mean, I, you know, and, and I think too, during my, my time at Latina Institute, I've been able to work with our organizers on the ground in Texas. And, you know, even before this pandemic, I heard stories too about, you know, some families have to travel 100 or 200 miles to access care. So, um, like you said, right, there's just so many layers added to the situation. And so plus on top of that, just like the question of transportation, right? So if you don't have a license or you don't have a car or you don't have money for gas, like all these things come into play when you're just trying to get the care that you need. Um, and so it makes me really think like, as we push into the new administration, right? Like how are we making a healthcare system that's truly equitable and accessible to everyone? Um, you know, regardless of where they live or how long they've been in this country?

Jennie: So I guess that brings us to what are we doing about it? And let's talk about the HEAL Act. What is it?

Candace: Um, so as both Luisa and Abbey like illustrated in their own personal stories of themselves and their families, right, immigrants in the United States and especially immigrant women who are the backbone of their communities have to navigate a patchwork of coverage in this country. So if you don't have employer sponsored coverage, which many immigrants don't because they have, they're usually in jobs that, um, have low pay or low wages or don't provide coverage, right? You would hope that you could access some of the public safety net programs that we have. Uh, but that is not the case. So the 1996, uh, welfare law created the five-year waiting period for both Medicaid and CHIP, um, and also restricted, um, access to Medicaid for, uh, migrants, uh, that are, um, from the COFA states or the compact of, uh, I think Compact of Free Association States. Um, so those are two of the pieces that HEAL would undo. So it would actually ensure that anyone who has federally authorized presence can access Medicaid and CHIP, uh, it would restore Medicaid eligibility for COFA migrants. It would also make sure that undocumented individuals are able to buy coverage on the marketplace as established by the ACA and actually get the subsidies that they need to make sure that coverage is, is affordable. And then also finally it makes sure that individuals who have DACA status are able to access Medicaid and CHIP and also participate in the ACA as well. Um, so unfortunately 2012 DACA recipients or wrongfully excluded from the benefits of the ACA so that the HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act, you know, definitely puts us off, puts us on the right course to ensure that everyone can have access to coverage in this country, regardless of immigration status.

Abbey: So just a little more context on who COFA citizens are, likeCandice mentioned, COFA stands for the Compact of Free Association. Um, COFA was established in 1986 as part in part as compensation for the loss of health, land, and resources caused by the U.S. conducting 67 nuclear weapons tests on the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958. So COFA allowed people from Micronesia and the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau to live and work, in the U.S., and until 1996, COFA citizens had access to Medicaid and CHIP. But the 1996 welfare reform law excluded COFA citizens from an extremely arbitrary list of qualified immigrants, taking away their access to Medicaid and CHIP. And this is just such a clear example of U.S. militarism and imperialism affecting people who then are forced to move to the U.S. because of economic, um, you know, neo-liberal neo-colonial reasons. And then when you're just directly affecting their land and, and, uh, their health with these nuclear tests, you're going to, when they migrate, just suddenly take away their healthcare, even though they are much more susceptible to, um, having cancer because of those nuclear tests is completely ridiculous and extremely harmful. And life-threatening.

Jennie: That's so great. I mean, it's, as you clearly explained before it's really needed. Um, so Abbey and Luisa, do you want to tell us what would this mean for immigrants trying to access healthcare?

Luisa: I think that, um, it would mean that like people in my family that have no immigration status, right. Not no lawful immigration status, um, can get access to like the marketplace and can purchase health insurance for themselves. Right.? So that they don't have to rely on like the public system, public health system. Um, if, you know, in New York City, they can, but like people there there's people in other states that I know, you know, that would really greatly benefit from like having access to buy insurance and have insurance so that they can access health care. Um, and I, you know, just getting access is probably most important thing.

Abbey: Yeah. We, like Candace was talking about, we know that if healthcare is unaffordable, that it's completely inaccessible. We've all been saying this like for the entire, the entire episode. And like, I have friends who, whose parents and grandparents wouldn't go to the doctor because they had to pay bills and they're like, we can't afford a visit, or they would tell their kids like, “don't get sick. Like, don't break your bones because we know that we won't be able to afford it if something like that happens.” And these are false choices that we know nobody should be making. It's not-- choosing to put food on the table or being healthy is not a real choice. That's a completely false choice that no one should have to make at all. And when the U.S. government excludes undocumented immigrants from accessing affordable healthcare, and when they make an arbitrary list of like qualified immigrants who can access public benefits, then they're saying that immigrants’ lives are unworthy of care. And they're saying that these immigrants are completely disposable, and if the only way that you can access care is waiting or trying to come up with alternatives that are unsafe, or literally putting your life on the line by joining the military then we know that our lives are, are being seen as unworthy of dignity, which we know isn't true. So like Candice mentioned, like the HEAL Act would put us on the right path of expanding healthcare access to the people who need it most. Um, it would mean that we would actually have the resources to be able to strive and not just barely get by and survive. Um, and I think it would get us one step closer to being able to have like full self-determination and agency and making real choices that don't look like the decision between putting food on the table and going to the doctor.

Jennie: Yeah. I think I, I just really hope that this is somewhere where we are working towards, I mean, we are working towards it, but like that action actually happens and that we get closer to everybody having access to healthcare. Because as you said, we shouldn't be deciding that some people are worth it. And some aren't like, that's just like, how can you morally like, say that this person is worth healthcare? And that one isn't? This is just seems so ridiculous.

Luisa: I also think it's so like arbitrary, right?

Jennie: Yeah.

Luisa: The fact that people have to wait like five years access to like, you know, I just five years…why five, you know, like it's just obviously like intentional, right? So that people don't get access to health insurance and stuff. And, and to me, it also just kind of feels like intentional so that people like don't continue to come to the United States or like just kind of like stop that. So people are like, “Oh, we can't, you know, have access to health insurance.” You know, it it's horrible. And like, I can talk about how horrible it is.

Jennie: It's it feels like punishment. Right? Like, I feel like we talk about this in like repro, right? You're being punished for your choices. And it feels like exactly what this tries to be. Like fine if you're here, but we're not, we're going to punish you for the decision you just made.

Candace: Exactly. Jennie. Exactly. I mean, and also just think of it too, from like just the sexual reproductive health care lens as well. Right? Like this is so needed. Immigrant women especially can actually make the best decisions for themselves when it comes to sexual reproductive health care. And like, as we all know you know, before the affordable care act, the cost of contraception was pretty high. [Laughs]. So, I mean, I'm just thinking that, so like one example. Like how are we increasing access to the full range of sexual reproductive health care for individuals in this country? Especially, you know, especially immigrant woman. I think of like my, you know, my mother and my grandmother, both from El Salvador, right? Like they, they forked, they patched a struggle to prove their worth in this country. And like giving them the peace of mind, like giving somebody, like my mother, my grandmother, the peace of mind of having coverage so that way they can actually make the best decisions for themselves that translates to their families would just be, you know, monumental. So, um, because like, as I was mentioning before… A lot of immigrant women are the backbones of their families. And there's also just even data showing too, like, if you have one parent who wasn't born in the United States, it's usually increases the chances of that child, not having access to health insurance, just because there's so much confusion about health care in this country. Because again about the fear of immigration enforcement, in this country, all these different policies that, that gave the signal like Abbey and Luisa that were saying that you're not welcomed here in this country.

Jennie: So, you know, another exciting thing coming up is a new administration, which obviously means new opportunities. Um, this past administration has been terrible for so many things, but right among the top would be immigrant related issues and reproductive health related issues. Um, so the new Biden-Harris administration promises to be hopefully a really positive change and both of those directions. So what would you like to see, or what can they do, um, around the access for immigrant healthcare?

Candace: Okay. Cause, uh, so, you know, obviously there's a lot of work to undo the public charge regulation, but that's not the focus of this podcast specifically. I would, I would say too you, you know, one of the small steps that, you know, the Biden administration could take is undoing this exclusion of DACA recipients from the ACA. So the Biden administration could co-direct to the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a proposed regulation to repeal, to repeal the exclusion of DACA recipients from ACA benefits. Um, you know, I think a lot of advocates are calling for this to happen within the first 45 days, if not the first hundred days. You know, I know it's part of the blueprint for sexual reproductive health rights and justice that Jennie and I have worked on with others. Um, and that would be huge just because DACA recipients, like I mentioned are over 200,000, uh, essential workers. Um, and they undid this exclusion. This could benefit up to 1.7 million DACA recipients. So this is definitely a small, small, but meaningful step that they can take to put us on the right course. [Pause]. And we don't have to wait on Congress for either that's, that's also the beauty of that.

Jennie: Yeah. That's really important. As, especially as while we're recording this, we don't know what the Senate's going to look like yet. So things that the administration can do without Congress are nice to know about. Okay. So we always love to wrap up the episode by focusing on actions the audience can take. So what are some of the things the audience can do right now that would help make this a reality?

Luisa: I think one of the main things is to know, get to know more the Heal for Immigrant Women and Families Act. I think to get more information about that and to call local Congresswomen, and men, to tell them that they support it. Um, that would be like amazing.

Abbey: Yeah, exactly what Luisa said. Um, I'm sure the Latina Institute on their website has like a page specifically about the HEAL Act, I know for NAPAWF too we have a page about the HEAL Act that has like very basic policy that like someone like me who knows nothing about policy [laughs] there's a couple of bullet points that makes it all make sense. And we also have a script for calling your senators, calling your house reps, tell your family about the HEAL Act, get your family and friends to call your Congress people. Um, NAPAWF has 12 chapters around the country working on the HEAL Act so you can also join a chapter of NAPAWF and get involved in our work that way.

Candace: Um, I mean, you know, Abbey and Luisa did my job right there. [Laughs]. Um, you know, I think we're incredibly happy with the momentum we've gained this past session. So, uh, the HEAL Act had its first, um, first introduction, both chambers this past session. And that was due to the leadership of Representatives Jayapal and Holland, and also Senator Booker. Um, so definitely, you know, I don't think Congress is, is out yet, so you can call your members of Congress to get them on the bill. Um, but also, you know, we're working as a coalition to build momentum-free introduction early on during the next session. Um, and so that will be another point of advocacy as well. And then I think finally to NAPAWF also has a petition, Abbey, I think on your website. Yeah.

Jennie: Well, we will make sure to include all of the things in our show notes so that people can easily find them, uh, we'll have links to all the things so you can sign the petition or get access to the scripts or get talking points, whatever people need so that they are able to take action to make the HEAL Act pass. Well, Abbey, Luisa, Candace, thank you so much for being here today. I had a great time talking to y'all.

All: Thank you!

Candace: It was awesome.

Jennie: Okay. I hope everybody enjoyed this week's episode. I had a great time speaking with Candace, Abbey and Luisa and for a little behind the scenes, like, Oh my goodness. So, uh, when I was talking to them, I had them on a video platform so that we could speak face to face and I had thought everything covered and protected so my cats couldn't cause any mischief and the middle of the interview, uh, Cinder walked across all of my protections and still managed to stop the recording. Oh man. Y'all luckily, I caught it right away. Oh, you never know, man. Those cats get to keep an eye on him, but just for a little behind the scenes fun. So, for those of you who listened through to the end, I hope you enjoyed that story. Um, but with that, uh, I will see you all actually next week, we're going to have a special bonus episode talking about Title X and the things the Biden administration needs to do. Uh, so I will see you all next week.

Jennie: Thanks for listening everyone. And we'll see you on our next episode of RePROS Fight Back. For more information, including show notes from this episode and previous episodes, please visit our website at reprosfightback.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at RePROS Fight Back, or on Instagram at reprosfb. If you like our show, please help others find it by sharing it with your friends and subscribing, rating and reviewing us on iTunes. Thanks for listening.

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