Sonoma County to extend health coverage to undocumented residents
The new initiative represents another significant shift in medical coverage for the uninsured, coming in the wake of Obamacare and a state deal last month to offer health coverage to undocumented children.
The latest move comes in the form of a two-year pilot program offered by a 35-county consortium that pools money to pay for health insurance for the indigent.
It's unclear exactly how many undocumented immigrants could seek health coverage through the program. There are about 20,000 uninsured people in
Recipients will be offered "limited scope" primary care benefits and access to prescription drugs up to
Scardaci hailed the decision last week, touting a safety-net expansion she and others said would benefit another group of the uninsured.
"This is really an amazing step forward to provide equal access to health care," Scardaci said.
The program is expected to cost
The coverage for undocumented adult immigrants would extend benefits to a segment of the population largely left out under Obamacare.
County officials estimated that two aspects of the federal health care overall -- the federal expansion of
But many undocumented immigrants were left behind, said
Toledo, who is knowledgeable of government-subsidized health insurance enrollment issues, said that undocumented immigrants traditionally access health care in the emergency room, which is often expensive. Giving immigrants access to CMSP preventative care could result in lower health care costs for this population, he said.
"The opportunity is really to provide them with prevention focused care so they don't end up in the emergency room," he said. " It should result in lower health care costs overall."
Another related shift in health care came last month, when Gov.
Sen.
CMSP was started in 1983, when the state transferred to the counties the responsibility of providing health care services to uninsured poor adults. After 1991, the program became financed by realignment dollars -- money shifted to local governments to cover justice, health care and other programs -- as well as vehicle license fees, sales tax, and county contributions.
The county program was meant to cover those who were not eligible for
In the aftermath of Obamacare, and changes it caused in CMSP enrollment, the consortium's governing board began a strategic planning process eight months ago to figure out how it would expand coverage to those left uninsured after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The consortium is made up mostly of small rural counties, including the
Toledo said the CMSP, through a third-party administrator, contracts with a number of local health care providers, including local hospitals, community clinics and private physicians.
But most of the newly enrolled members will likely be treated at one of the county's nonprofit clinics.
"The vast majority will get their care at one of the health centers or one of the hospitals," he said. "But that doesn't preclude them from getting care at one of the other privately contracted providers."
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