The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Pregnant immigrants struggle to find prenatal care amid restrictive federal laws

Brian Moline and Sydney Wood
 
Drs. Alka Walter and Cecilia Norris work at the Free Medical Clinic in Iowa City. They see many immigrants who do not have access to Medicaid, including those under the federal government's five year ban.

Drs. Alka Walter and Cecilia Norris work at the Free Medical Clinic in Iowa City. They see many immigrants who do not have access to Medicaid, including those under the federal government's five year ban. Natalie Krebs/Side Effects Public Media

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Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Today's headlines:

  • A long legal battle between inmates and the Illinois Department of Corrections over mental health care has taken another turn.
  • Carle Health in Urbana will take over management of several hospitals in central Illinois from UnityPoint Health.
  • The Village of Savoy voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend the Champaign Unit 4 school district reinstate neighborhood schools.
  • Local interpreter Mateo Sebastian has been awarded the Immigrant Leadership Award by the city of Champaign.

In today's deep dive, we’ll learn how pregnant immigrants in some states are barred from public assistance if they’ve been in the U.S. less than five years, which leaves them with few options for affordable prenatal care.

217 Today is produced by Sydney Wood. Reporting today contributed by Eric Stock, Tim Shelley, Emily Hays, Jacqueline Barba and Natalie Krebs.