Hundreds of undocumented immigrants without health insurance despite Maryland’s Access to Care Act

MARYLAND ( DC News Now ) — In Maryland, although the Access to Care Act went into effect this month, it seems like it’s taking a lot longer for undocumented immigrants to get health insurance, which lies in the federal government’s hands.

The Maryland legislation was passed in April but went into effect Oct. 1, 2024.

The new law removes immigration status as an eligibility requirement for health insurance. However, the federal government must still permit Maryland to open its healthcare marketplace regardless of immigration status.

Jose Crespin worked in construction, and he’s also diabetic. His immigration status did not allow him to get the health insurance he needed for care, and he had to get his leg amputated.

“Those who unfortunately have drastic circumstances, that will be prevented once individuals are able to have access to a doctor, access to medicine that you know they can take to control their chronic illnesses,” said Ninfa Amador-Hernandez , research and policy analyst with CASA , a Latino and immigration advocacy organization based in Maryland.

Amador-Hernandez said Crespin’s story is just one of many.

“Many individuals in the immigrant community are having to face illnesses on their own with home remedies or having to rely on the emergency room. This is just a band-aid step, because one, they’re going walk out of there with a lot of medical debt, and this is just going to continue to impact their already, you know, drastic financial circumstances,” she said.

Members of CASA say getting the Access to Care Act passed was the first step, but now they hope that by next year, the federal government will allow Maryland to waive its immigration status and open its healthcare market.

“We get our yearly dental vision and all those things. Our community members or immigrant Marylanders are not getting that. So if they can’t have access to that, how are we expecting them to continue to be powerful leaders in our community,” Amador-Hernandez added.

CASA is also pushing for not only access but also to ensure these health insurance plans are affordable.

“We’re reflecting on such a huge win, a huge step forward, but we want to make sure that we continue to expand on this win [and] to make sure that cost is not prohibitive,” she said.

Immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) can receive insurance through Maryland’s Access to Care Act starting in November due to a policy under the Biden Administration.

Other undocumented immigrants in Maryland must wait for the federal government to grant the state permission.

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