Earlier this week our partners at the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio and the Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) Ohio released an issue brief highlighting the challenges individuals who lack legal status face in accessing care and health services and offer recommendations for bridging these gaps in support of public health for everyone.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a threat to everyone living in our communities. The virus doesn’t care who is a citizen, who has insurance, or what kind of job a person has. Likewise, our ability to support a strong public health network means that everyone – no matter a person’s citizenship, job, or insurance status – must have access to ongoing care and health services.
There are three sources of funding available that are typically used by healthcare providers to support services for individuals living in Ohio and would otherwise be eligible for the Medicaid program because they lack proper documentation to live and work in the United States. These programs exist to make sure that all people regardless of their means or citizenship have access to emergency healthcare.
Ohio’s Alien Emergency Medicaid program
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Uninsured Provider Fund/Medicaid Coordination of Benefits
Community Health Centers
Read the full issue brief HERE