In 2009, the recession led the state Legislature to pass a law that ultimately cut approximately 26,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care, a subsidized health insurance program and essential part of the state’s 2006 healthcare overhaul. The move was projected to save $130 million.
Consequently, lawmakers formed a new healthcare plan called Commonwealth Care Bridge Program, which is essentially a scaled-back version of the Commonwealth Care program. In addition, only legal immigrants who were previously enrolled in Commonwealth Care were eligible to participate in the Bridge program.
The high court shot down the attorney general’s office’s argument that the 2009 law was meant to align the state with federal immigration law, which mandates a five-year waiting period before legal immigrants can participate in federal healthcare programs. The high court’s ruling means lawmakers must quickly find $150 million to extend coverage to legal immigrants under Commonwealth Care.
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