Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advocates press committee to remove immigration status as barrier to full coverage for children
Summary
Health and immigrant-rights groups urged the Joint Committee to report Cover All Kids (H1403/S855), which would extend full MassHealth coverage to children regardless of immigration status; witnesses cited clinical cases of avoidable hospitalizations, administrative complexity and fiscal savings from earlier care.
Advocates, community organizations and clinicians urged the Joint Committee to advance Cover All Kids (H1403/S855), a bill that would extend full MassHealth coverage to children up to age 21 regardless of immigration status.
Suzanne Curry of Health Care for All framed the change as closing long-standing gaps in access: "MassHealth Limited only covers emergency services; the Children's Medical Security Plan has caps and variably available services — these limits create gaps that may lead to avoidable hospitalizations," she said.
Clinicians gave examples of the policy's potential impact. Dr. Catherine Bick, a pediatrician who treats complex hospitalized children,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
