Column: New policy makes Michigan a more welcoming and healthy place for immigrants – City Pulse

Alexandra Vita (via Michigan Advance)

Getty Images

Almost 30 years ago, my mom was very happy that she was approved to work in the United States. Although it was difficult to move halfway across the world and be apart from her parents, her siblings and her friends, she was grateful for this new chapter. Her story echoes the experiences of many immigrants: she wanted to pursue a better life in the United States.

The first two years, however, held challenges. Although she worked as hard as she could, she couldn’t afford health or dental insurance. She told me that every day she lived in fear of getting sick. This was especially difficult because she worked in a health facility and was constantly exposed to different diseases when she cared for others.

If she got sick, she hoped it would soon be beyond paying a doctor and medicine was out of the question. She already felt overwhelmed paying rent, buying food and providing financial support to her relatives. She put off dental care even though she had conditions that needed regular visits.

During medical school, I was grateful for the opportunity to meet patients and listen to their experiences and difficulties. But it is disheartening to hear how closely many of my patients’ stories mirrored my experience as a mom. Some patients could not afford the medicines they needed. Other patients feared that a hospital visit would upend their family’s savings.

Although insurance makes it possible to pay for health care, many people in Michigan are not eligible for Medicaid because of their immigration status alone.

Since 1996, lawfully present immigrants who meet residency and income requirements of Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) must also have lived in the United States for five years before they are eligible to access these programs. Since 2009, the Immigrant Child Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) option allowed states to waive the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and CHIP for legally present pregnant people and children.

However, despite having the option for 14 years, Michigan has not adopted this policy.

During my pediatric and OB-GYN rotations, it was evident that both infancy and pregnancy are times of tremendous physiological changes. Pediatricians have the unique opportunity to be involved in the care of children from the days after they are born until they are 21. They guide parents in discussions about nutrition and safety as a child grows, and help teenagers through changes in puberty and mental health.

OB-GYN physicians partner with pregnant patients to manage conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure that significantly affect health outcomes. They answer questions about birth plans, and are there during deliveries to deal with any complications that occur.

Knowing how important access to care is for vulnerable populations in these times of change, I was happy about it Michigan recently funded the adoption of the ICHIA option to waive the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and CHIP for legal resident children and pregnant people..

The effect of this change is unmistakable activists in different disciplines and practices joined in celebration.

Jeremy Lapedis, executive director of the Washtenaw Health Project, works to connect clients to health coverage.

I am happy because this makes Michigan a more welcoming state for immigrants and ensures that those who need care can access it. People often had to choose between putting food on the table and buying expensive private insurance on the marketplace, and I hope ICHIA provides help to these families, he said.

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) provides legal resources for immigrant communities and also celebrates the funding of the ICHIA option.

MIRC has been watching this issue for several years because we regularly interact with people living legally in the United States who are harmed by a lack of access to programs like Medicaid and CHIP, said Elly Jordan, Attorney-in-Chief and Impact at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. .

Many young adults we serve are victims of child abuse and neglect who are on a legal path to citizenship but are currently unable to access health care benefits. They also face long wait times when seeking a work permit, which makes earning an income to cover the cost of health care a challenge. Before 1996, eligible immigrant children had access to Medicaid without a five-year waiting period, and since 2009 Michigan has had the option to reinstate some of that coverage for legally resident children. In the meantime, immigrant children and families have paid the price of the waiting period in the form of crushing debt, delayed medical care, or often both. We are glad that Michigan lawmakers have finally ended that anxiety for some legal residents and encourage them to continue to look for ways to protect immigrant families.

This budget win is also celebrated by OB-GYN doctors. Between 2015 and 2019, finished 400 new parents died of pregnancy-related deaths and pregnancy-related deaths in Michigan. According to the Michigan Maternal Mortality Surveillance Program, the majority of these deaths were preventable.

Dr. Rosalyn Maben-Feaster, a practicing OBGYN physician who represents ACOG on the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health (MCMCH) board of directors, said, We know that there can be short and long term consequences to complications with pregnancy. Expanding coverage helps ensure that all patients have access to care to help reduce these risks.

Dr. Lindsay Admon is a practicing OBGYN physician whose research focuses on addressing racial and ethnic disparities in medical care and understanding how insurance coverage affects maternal and child health outcomes.

Postpartum Medicaid eligibility extensions have tremendous potential to address preventable maternal morbidity and mortality, and improve maternal health equity, she said.

These stories from community organizations and doctors emphasize the huge impact that the adoption of the ICHIA option will have. According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, thousands of new parents and 3,000 to 4,000 children will have increased access to health care with this change.

This is especially meaningful to me because these populations experiences share similarities with my mothering journey.

When my mom reflects on the differences in her life thirty years ago compared to now, she lets out a long sigh of relief. She feels at ease knowing our family has access to health care, and remembers the stress when that was an uncertainty. Although there is still much work to be done, I am grateful to be part of a state that has taken a major step toward addressing health disparities that immigrant populations face.

With this major change in policy, I hope that many immigrant parents and children can have that peace of mind as well.

The post Column: New policy makes Michigan a more welcoming and healthy place for immigrants appeared first on Michigan Advance.