Dear Hecate

I work for a church sponsored program to help political refugees get settled in the United States. We help them get their papers in order, find safe homes, get jobs and find health care.

When it comes to finding health care our most helpful partners are community health centers, who really strive to hook us up with culturally competant providers and translators and we have been very grateful for their care and compassion and happy theat they were getting payed for their work.

We were dismayed when the Legislature cut access to health care for legal immigrants, relieved when the Governor submitted a half a plan and dismayed when the Legislature announced they had cut that half a plan in half again!!

What is going on? We've already been in contact with our Reps and Senators about this and the Governor's office as well.  Do you have any advice about what we should do next?

Waiting for Advice

Dear Waiting,

I'm going to refer you to a most recent update from Health Care for Alls Blog and urge you to keep in touch with them as the work continues.

Legislature Moving Towards Partial Legal Immigrant Funding. What’s Next?

The State House was up late tonight, as the legislature worked on a supplemental funding bill that funds a number of items vetoed by the Governor, including adding partial funding for legal immigrants eligible for Commonwealth Care.

The final bill passed around 11:30 tonight. Explanatory materials distributed by the House today are here, and the original bill as filed is here.As reported, the bill increases Commonwealth Care funding by $40 million, and permits the Secretary of HHS and the Connector to devise a plan to cover the 30,000 eligible legal immigrants that does not exceed $40 million. Full Commonwealth Care for this many people would cost around $130 million, so this is far less than the cost of full benefits.

The Governor had proposed a compromise to spend $70 million for these people. If no plan can be devised, the $40 million can be added to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund, which reimburses hospitals and community health centers for free care provided to low income uninsured...............

And what to do next?

One outcome of this should be a strong, concerted effort by state leaders to push for federal reimbursement for all legal immigrants as part of national health reform. We urge the leadership of the legislature to join us in asking Senator Kerry to make this issue one of his priorities as the Finance Committee takes up its bill soon.

You job is to continue your good work.  Good luck!!