Opinion: Closing the coverage gap for adult immigrants is the next chapter in health justice – mainebeacon.com

This post originally appeared on the Maine Equal Justice blog. 

Last year, Governor Mills and the Maine Legislature expanded MaineCare for income-eligible pregnant people and those under the age of 21, regardless of their immigrant status. That means that come this July 1, more of Maine’s youngest residents with low income will have access to health care coverage. This is cause for celebration: Maine remains at the forefront nationally in recognizing the fundamental right to health care!

However, there are still many immigrant adults in Maine who fall into the MaineCare coverage gap and are unable to afford the care and treatments they need.

There are two opportunities during this legislative session to right this wrong! 

The first is the 2022 supplemental budget. Maine has a historic revenue surplus of approximately $1.2 billion. A small portion of these funds could be used to extend MaineCare to adults who remain ineligible due to their immigration status to provide cost-saving and lifesaving preventive, primary, and acute health care. Without this coverage, many will delay treatment and rely on emergency departments as their point of access. The Governor has an opportunity to include this coverage in her expected change package for the supplemental budget. This would further alleviate the burdens on our hospitals and to put this money to work for Mainers who were hardest hit by the pandemic. 

In early March, the Appropriations and Financial Affairs (AFA) Committee and the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee heard from members of the public on LD 1995, the supplemental budget bill. They heard hours of testimony on different parts of the budget, including from members of the public who spoke passionately about the importance of health care coverage for all immigrants. 

Maria Perez testified, “As a mom I feel anguish, and the urgency to take care of myself so that I can better care for my family. Children’s physical, mental, and emotional health is also impacted by the wellbeing of their parents. MaineCare for everyone with low incomes, including all immigrants, will make us all healthier and stronger.”

The second opportunity to expand health care access for all Mainers is LD 718: An Act to Improve the Health of Maine Residents by Closing Coverage Gaps in the MaineCare Program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. You may remember this bill from last year—if passed and funded—it would finally extend MaineCare benefits to immigrant adults, regardless of their immigration status. 

During the public hearing for LD 718 last year, immigrant community members and advocates told legislators their stories of pain and resilience and the impacts of lack of health care coverage on their lives, families, and businesses.

Rosy Ontiveros, a resident of Lewiston who assists others in her community without health insurance explained, “It’s very difficult for all the people who don’t go to the doctor for fear of not being attended to because of lack of ability to pay…We have many stories of people who have broken bones and because of not having access to health insurance they have not sought the necessary therapies needed and the pain they experience is constant.”

When it comes to making sure our neighbors, friends, and family who are immigrants have access to services like health care, your voice really counts–your legislators need to know their constituents support them when they do the right thing. Tell them you are grateful for their courage in the fight to cover low-income immigrants who are pregnant and under 21, and you will again support their efforts to close the final gap for adults. 

In the words of Ontiveros to the HHS Committee, “I trust in you, and I think with your help we can win this.”

If you believe that you or your child will gain access to MaineCare this year and you need help applying for coverage or if you have any questions about your eligibility for health insurance, please contact Maine Equal Justice at 1-866-626-7059 or Consumers for Affordable Health Care at 1-800-965-7476.

Photo: Lewiston resident Rosy Ontiveros and other advocates at the State House in 2021 asking lawmakers to restore immigrant access to MaineCare. | via Maine Equal Justice