Immigrant Engagement Activities
A growing coalition of advocacy groups, legal services, unions, congregation based organizations, and individuals are signing on to the letters below. Please add your name or the name of your organizatiuon by sending an email to info@onemassachusetts.org or any of the groups you may be familiar with below. Here are the names of the endorsers of the letters so far.
MIRA Coalition, SEIU State Council, SEIU 615, SEIU 509,
SEIU 888, SEIU Committee of Interns and Residents,
Mass Public Health Association, Public Policy Institute,
Mass Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, Berkshire
Immigrant Center, Mass Community Action Network, National
Association of Social Workers MA, Health Care for All,
Anti Defamation League, New Engalnd Chapter, ¿Oiste ?
Irish Immigrantion Center, Boston Workers Alliance, Greater
Boston Interfaith Organization, Brazilian Immigrant Center,
ONE ONE Massachusetts,Cambridge -Somerville for Change.
Whittier Strett Health Center,
Immigrants' Assistance Center, Inc.
Sign-on Letters:
Dear Governor Patrick,
Sincerely,
As a coalition of health care and immigrant advocates, labor unions, faith-based organizations, we applaud your effort to extend the Commonwealth Care Bridge program, the only affordable health insurance option for nearly 40,000 legal tax-paying immigrants in Massachusetts, of which includes hard-working newcomers, small-business owners, and victims of domestic abuse.
Your commitment to restore affordable health care for this population is not only the right thing to do, but it is especially encouraging in light of the Legislature’s package of amendments unfairly targeting immigrants, exacerbating an unhealthy atmosphere of fear and scapegoating in an already dire fiscal environment.
As you know, the six-month extension is critical, but it is not a permanent solution to this crisis. In a state which models universal coverage for citizens and legal residents alike, we look forward to your continual effort to fund the program through the fiscal year. Moreover, we hope this will eventually lead to restoring Commonwealth Care eligibility for this population.
Thank you for crafting a creative solution to make sure this crucial part of our community and workforce has access to affordable health care.
Dear President Murray and Speaker DeLeo:
As a coalition of immigrant and health care advocates, labor unions, and faith-based organizations, we recognize and applaud the House and the Senate for including an enhanced Commonwealth Care Bridge Program in their respective budgets. Unfortunately, the Conference Committee effectively eliminated the Bridge Program by choosing to make the program 100% dependent on insecure federal Medicaid matching funds.
The Bridge Program is the only affordable insurance option for legal tax-paying immigrants who do not receive health care from their employers or do not qualify for MassHealth. Without the Bridge Program, nearly 40,000 legal tax-paying residents would be without access to coverage, leading to a decline in the rate of insured in the state and an increase in preventable illness.
As you know, Governor Patrick has come up with a plan and the funding to keep the Bridge program running for the next six months using monies from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund (CCTF), potential federal TANF contingency funds, and cost savings initiatives in the Bridge and CommonwealthCare programs. We ask the legislature to follow through on your previous recommendations and pass the Governor’s suggested amendment to provide health care to nearly 40,000 tax-paying Massachusetts residents. With the legislature and the Governor’s leadership Massachusetts has the opportunity to uphold its position as a national model for healthcare coverage and services.
Sincerely,