The Maryland General Assembly is moving toward allowing undocumented immigrants to buy health insurance on the state’s insurance exchanges, but they would still have to pay full price and would not receive any federal subsidies.
The Maryland Senate approved the changes Friday afternoon by a vote of 34-13. This followed approval by the House of Representatives in late February by a vote of 101-34.
There are still a few largely procedural steps remaining before the bill can be considered by Gov. Wes Moore, with each chamber passing the other chamber’s version.
The goal of this change is to ease the burden on people in the state who don’t have health insurance.
About 6.1% of the state’s residents are uninsured, and officials estimate that about 30% of them (112,000 people) are undocumented immigrants. They are currently prohibited from using state health insurance exchanges to shop or purchase insurance plans.
“It helps some people get better when they get sick. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Sen. James Rosapepe, a Prince George’s County Democrat, said while explaining Friday’s vote.
“Pending federal approval, we are excited that all Maryland residents will be able to use Maryland Health Connection to compare and purchase private health plans,” Maryland Health said. said Michele Eberle, Executive Director of the Benefit Exchange.
The health exchange already has a Spanish version of its site and Google Translate for other languages, as well as a call center that can provide support in more than 200 languages, all to make your insurance purchase as easy as possible. This is an effort to make it easier to use.
If the bill passes the final stages of the legislative process and is approved by the governor, the state would have to ask the federal government to exempt undocumented immigrants from accessing the health care exchange. If the waiver is granted, it could take until 2026 for health exchanges to begin accepting undocumented immigrants, the newspaper said. Bipartisan analysis of the bill.
Opening the health care exchange to illegal immigrants will initially cost the state no cost, as it does not include subsidies, and the exchange reported that existing staffing and resources will be able to meet the increased demand. .
The bill was controversial in the House of Delegates, with Rep. Mark Fisher, R-Calvert County, calling it “a ridiculously stupid bill.”
President Jocelyn Peña Melnyk, chair of the Board of Health, said this is the latest step in attacking the state’s rate of uninsured residents. Before the federal Affordable Care Act (referred to by many as “Obamacare”), there were 756,000 uninsured people in the state.
Peña-Melnyk described a series of subsequent actions that have reduced the number of uninsured to 350,000: expanding Medicaid, taxing insurance companies to fund health exchange programs, and increasing the number of young adults. Expanding subsidies, using tax returns to connect eligible people to health exchanges.
Peña Melnyk, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties, said helping people enroll in insurance plans will improve care for people and reduce overall system costs. He said that means reducing the amount of
“Where can these people get treatment? Do you know where they go?” she asked. “They go to the emergency room. Maryland’s emergency wait times are the highest in the nation. It’s the worst.”
The Access to Care Act is supported by several of the General Assembly’s major caucuses: the Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus, the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, and the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus. It was supported by four of the groups. In a letter of support, caucus leaders wrote that the bill is a “fiscally responsible solution to improving access and affordability of health care.”
They also noted that the bill would help mixed-status families, some of whom are legal residents and others who are not. “This comprehensive approach recognizes the diverse makeup of our community and addresses the logistical and emotional barriers these families face in securing health coverage,” the executives said. writing.
In the Senate, some Republicans expressed concern that Maryland continues to welcome illegal immigrants.
“We’ve done everything we can think of to put up flashing neon signs that say, ‘Hey, come on!'” said Carroll County Republican Sen. Justin Ready. He said the state’s infrastructure is not able to accommodate the needs of more illegal immigrants.
“We can’t throw out the welcome wagon and continue to impose more and more costs on our people,” he said.
But supporters counter that the measure actually saves money.
If an uninsured person needs treatment, they will go to the emergency room and seek assistance, regardless of their ability to pay. The cost of that free treatment is split among everyone else on your insurance.
“This means we’re all going to end up paying for health care,” said Democratic Sen. Clarence Lamb, who represents Howard and Anne Arundel counties.
Over the past decade, the uninsured population decreased from 13% to 6%, resulting in savings of $460 million in uncompensated care. recent researchsaid Vincent DeMarco of Maryland Healthcare for All.
“This is a great day for Maryland because when more people have access to health insurance, we all benefit,” he said.
While the debate was a civil war in the Senate on Friday, bill sponsor Sen. Antonio Hayes said the rhetoric has gotten even worse beyond the statehouse.
“I’ve been getting some really hurtful messages outside of here, including personal threats against me,” the Baltimore Democrat said.
tracy codec The CEO of Healthcare Access Maryland, a nonprofit organization working to increase health insurance enrollment, said the bill could help a lot of people.
“I’m excited about the possibilities of this bill,” Kodek said. “We already work with the community, so we don’t feel it will be a challenge to connect with them.”
CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, the state’s largest insurer, supported the Access to Care Act, said CareFirst spokeswoman Rebecca Holamon.
“People who are uninsured have less access to care than people who have insurance, and the cost of care can be debilitating for people who are uninsured.” she said.
