State legislators and policy advocates said they had never seen the numbers the department used to justify the carve-out. “They told us it was too expensive,” said state legislator Delia Ramirez, the main co-sponsor of the law that created the Health Benefits Program for Immigrant Adults.
But supporters say the cost is worth it. Studies have shown that providing primary care to illegally enrolled seniors reduces the number of visits to emergency hospitals and inevitably pays from hospital and health system states or charitable sanctuaries. increase.
“If we don’t spend $ 100 million on (medical care) for the undocumented elderly, the state hasn’t saved $ 100 million. Even if we cut back on the program tomorrow, those costs still remain. It’s just a shift in costs. Someone else is absorbing them. These costs. ” Andrea Kovac, senior lawyer at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, said.
“The (undocumented) elderly are still ill. They are still in an accident,” she said.
Last year, state legislators succeeded in expanding the program to target undocumented migrants between the ages of 55 and 64. And last month, Ramirez introduced a bill to expand the coverage of Medicaid for non-citizen immigrants over the age of 19 who meet the program’s income requirements. According to the Schreiber Center on Poverty Law, the proposal is called “Healthy Illinois for All” and targets about 150,000 low-income migrants who are not covered by the state’s Medicaid program. (The state already provides medical care to low-income children under the age of 18, regardless of immigration status.)
Ramirez, who is running for Congress this year, said she and her colleagues behind the program are working to get health care and family services to fill the gap in the program for older people. Told. “We have made it clear to HFS that we expect it to be included when we deploy this next program,” she said.
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Pick up where the state leaves
Community groups, families, and volunteers provide moral, physical, and financial support not provided by institutions or government agencies as state legislators work to fill gaps in programs for undocumented seniors. I will try. But what’s approaching them is a vital bubble, and they say they’ll stretch them out and leave too many older people behind.
“We need to be prepared for this,” said Enrique Jimenez, program director of the Chicago Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Alliance (LAMDA). “They don’t go anywhere, so we need to prepare better programming, better outreach efforts and resources for this population.”
The alliance serves more than 100 elderly people with memory impairments and more than 300 caregivers from Chicago and nearby suburbs. Many patients and caregivers are undocumented, Jimenez said. This alliance provides leisure programming for the elderly, such as karaoke and Zumba classes, and trains caregivers on how to manage their illness.
“It can really confuse the whole family and their quality of life. It’s like a domino effect after the disease is detected,” said Group co-founder Constantina Midis. rice field. “Sometimes, caretakers of loved ones have to quit their jobs to take care of them, which causes financial difficulties and therefore more stress and trauma. It is a family illness. . “
Jimenez and Misis commend the creation of a health benefits program for migrant adults. But as the population they serve grows each year, Jimenez is concerned about the alliance’s ability to catch up. “We already need more resources to provide better services and more resources for older people and their families. As the population grows, we may run out of funds. I’m worried about it, “he said.
And while there are some organizations and nonprofits like LAMDA that provide resources to these growing populations, many undocumented migrants are afraid of deportation, or because of language or technology. I’m afraid to ask for help because of the barriers. Burgos and Ocampo seek and create communities with each other, take care of each other, find jobs, pay off debts, and generally care for each other.
