Maryland House Votes to Expand Health Insurance to Undocumented Immigrants
The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a measure to allow individuals to purchase health insurance through the state’s health care exchange regardless of their immigration status. The legislation, which received 101-34 votes in favor, would require a federal waiver to implement the program. The Senate will now consider similar legislation. To implement the program, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange must submit a federal waiver application by July 1, 2025. Washington state received such a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late 2022. If approved, the program could begin as early as 2026.
Maryland’s healthcare exchange was created in 2011 to provide a marketplace for people and small businesses to purchase affordable health coverage. According to Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, who chairs the House Health and Government Operations Committee, the state has seen a reduction of over 50% in the number of uninsured residents, from about 756,000 to about 350,000, or about 6% of the state’s population, due to the exchange.
Pena-Melnyk noted that of the remaining uninsured individuals, about 256,000 are undocumented immigrants. However, Del. Mark Fisher, a Republican from Calvert County, expressed concerns that this measure would cause longer wait times for U.S. citizens to get doctor’s appointments and questioned why the state should expand health insurance coverage to non-citizens.
Pena-Melnyk emphasized that the measure would benefit everyone, as uninsured individuals tend to go to emergency rooms with higher medical costs. She also noted that undocumented immigrants who sign up for health insurance through the exchange work and pay taxes in the state, making it a preventive and cost-effective measure.
“It’s preventive medicine, cheaper when it’s preventive, and it helps all of us. This is not free, not free, not free,” Pena-Melnyk said during the Friday debate while acknowledging that Maryland has the nation’s worst emergency room waiting times.
If the Senate approves the legislation, Maryland would become the second state to allow undocumented immigrants to purchase health insurance through the state’s exchange. This move could have significant implications for the state’s healthcare system and the well-being of its residents.
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