State covers
immigrants’
health care

$1 million is released to cover benefits
for those dropped by Medicaid

By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

State funds totaling $1.18 million have been released to provide medical services to uninsured immigrants, cut off from federal Medicaid benefits in 1996.

Health care providers serving immigrants will meet next week to talk about how to use the money, said Beth Giesting, Hawaii State Primary Care Association executive director.

"We want to make sure everyone has a fair share to make sure immigrants have access to care," she said.

For some of the state's eight community health centers, particularly in urban Honolulu and on Maui, the funding will be "a real boon," Giesting said.

Human Services Director Susan Chandler said the funds will compensate community health centers and others providing health care for immigrants who aren't insured or eligible for Medicaid or the state's QUEST program.

"This is an important step in providing care for these individuals and a reflection of this administration's support for immigrants," she said.

Though the money was appropriated by the 1997 Legislature, Giesting said it wasn't released last year because MedQUEST wanted to create a limited benefit managed-care program.

"It took time for them to work through this and find out they couldn't do it," said Giesting, whose group will administer the funds. "I think we can use the money in a more simplified way."

QUEST estimated about 800 to 1,000 immigrants were in Hawaii's Medicaid program when the federal law was passed Aug. 22, 1996, barring them from Medicaid benefits, Giesting said.

Community health care centers have had serious budget deficits in trying to continue services for the uninsured, including immigrants.