Massachusetts Health Insurance Won’t Be Available for Immigrants
According to the article “Immigrants soon to lose state health insurance” by Kay Lazar on boston.com 30,000 legal immigrants are receiving letters informing them that their Massachusetts health insurance which is subsidized by the state, will no longer be available after August 31. It will be replaced by patchwork care until Massachusetts officials can determine a comprehensive plan for the critically sick.
It is still to be determined what type of coverage these immigrants will have available to them. The interim plan only covers emergencies and a few other limited services. This is leaving many worried as to what is going to happen when health care is needed by the affected group. Immigrants will be receiving emergency health care in hospitals through the Health Safety Net and MassHealth Limited.
It’s very likely that coverage for routine and preventative care from their current physician will not be covered. The federal government doesn’t help to pay for these 30,000 legal immigrants. They are more expensive for the state to insure as they are not yet citizens. Many states in the US have stopped covering immigrants in this category but Massachusetts has continued to cover this group for comprehensive care until now.
