BOSTON-- The new plan to provide health coverage for 31,000 immigrants rolls out in the Greater Boston area tomorrow. After cutting recent green-card recipients and other legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care coverage in the FY2010 budget, the state legislature compromised with the Patrick Administration and allocated $40 million -- less than one-third the cost of full CommCare coverage -- for a new managed-care plan, run by CeltiCare. On the eve of the roll out of the new plan, dubbed "CommCare Bridge," numerous questions and concerns remain about the bridge's security.
"We appreciate the efforts and commitment of the administration and CeltiCare to make the best of a bad situation," said Eva A. Millona, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA). "But it remains a bad situation.We are concerned about access to affordable and comprehensive health care for these hard-working, tax-paying Massachusetts residents who were singled out for the cuts. In particular, we worry about the adequacy of CommCare Bridge's network of providers, as well as the plan's increased out-of-pocket expenses and its cap on future enrollment."
Currently, all but a small percentage of Boston's 11,500 CommCare Bridge members will need to find new health care providers, since the program's network does not currently include many institutions that have historically served this population, such as Boston Medical Center and Cambridge Health Alliance. Furthermore, with premium costs equal to those in full Commonwealth Care and some higher co-pays, the CommCare Bridge recipients will pay more for less.
"Until we see full restoration of Commonwealth Care coverage for these Massachusetts taxpayers," Millona continued, "we cannot expect them to receive adequate health care. We look forward to working with the Governor and the legislature to restore these important funds."
The plan is scheduled to roll out in Northern and Southern Massachusetts on November 1, and in Central and Western MA on December 1 (see list of service areas and rollout dates). A recent Boston Globe poll found that 43% of MA residents support full restoration of coverage in Commonwealth Care for the population, compared to 28% who felt coverage should remain as it is and 19% who felt coverage should be eliminated entirely.
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