Pregnant women who are not citizens may now be eligible for healthcare through Medicaid.
The Healthy Babies Equity Act went into effect in Maryland this past Saturday, July 1.
According to Maryland Health Connection, “In the past, eligibility for Medicaid required pregnant individuals to be residing in Maryland lawfully and have certain immigration statuses.”
To potentially qualify for Medicaid coverage under the Healthy Babies Equity Act, a person must be a noncitizen who is not eligible for Medicaid due to immigration status, is pregnant or was recently pregnant, has income up to 250% of the federal poverty level, and is a Maryland resident.
With enactment of the legislation on Saturday, patients under the county’s maternity partnership program are now eligible to get services through Maryland Medicaid, explained Dr. Christopher Rogers, policy and strategy officer with the county’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), during a media briefing Wednesday.
Under the legislation, applicants would be eligible for the same medical benefits package available to other pregnant people with no copay, County Executive Marc Elrich said.
Applying for the program in no way jeopardizes immigration status and will not impair ability to get citizenship or stay in the country, Elrich emphasized.
“We currently have about 1,300 women who are still pregnant as of July 1, 2023 and will need to enroll in Medicaid in order to continue to receive prenatal care, labor and delivery services,” Rogers said.
DHHS does outreach to inform residents about the new services. Health workers will reach out to all 1,300 women to help them apply, Rogers said. Residents can also apply through the Maryland Health Connection portal.
