Advocates in Massachusetts Aim for Immigrant Health Care
In Massachusetts, immigrant advocates are working to prepare a lobbying effort that would help legal immigrants who are at risk of losing state sponsored health care coverage to get help. The lobbying is meant to help some 20,000 immigrants who could lose their health care coverage as the state tries to cut state spending. The group putting together the effort is the Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, or MIRA. The group plans to make phone calls and send letters, as well as to meet face to face with state legislators as a way to help save the funding for the Commonwealth Care Bridge program, a state sponsored healthcare provision.

MIRA Wants Results
The healthcare program helps to provide basic health care service to about 20,000 immigrants who receive the classification of aliens with special status. At the beginning of the month, the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee voted to cut the program, which would save the state an estimated $50 million. The state's lawmakers are under pressure to cut the spending within the state government to fill the $1.9 billion budget gap. However, officials from MIRA say that by cutting the program, the lawmakers will simply drive up the costs of health care in the state, since these immigrants will need to use emergency care service for sick visits.

Budget Cuts Necessary Some Say:
Governor Deval Patrick crated the Bridge program in 2009, after some actions to balance the budget then cut into legal immigrant's coverage under the program called CommCare. Many feel that this time, immigrants will be blindsided by the cut in the program and will be surprised to learn the coverage ended, since most do not realize the proposal includes cuts to the Bridge program. If the program is cut, Hilary Greene, director of the Berkshire Immigrant Center, says that about 400 to 600 immigrants living in the region will lose their basic health care coverage. "They could be shocked when they get that letter. So we are working to educate everyone about what's going on."

Leaders Want Better Options
Many of those who oppose the cuts to the Bridge program say that they understand the funding is tight right now and that everyone is affected by the current restraints on the state's budget. According to Eva Millona, who is the executive director of MIRA, immigrants suffer worse than others do. "We understand that everybody is suffering right now, but immigrants are suffering the most." She also said that the MIRA advocates will be working hard and around the clock to try and convince the right people in the state to restore funding to the healthcare program. Senator Sonia Chang Diaz says that the state can restore funding to the program by making budget amendments. "Our committeemen to universal health care coverage is one of the things that make Massachusetts great, and it is a matter of basic fairness that everyone who's paying into our system should be able to access it." That may not be possible with these budget cuts.