ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Undocumented Maryland residents will have to wait longer to access the state's healthcare marketplace exchange.
Maryland officials recently decided to wait until at least 2028 to implement the state's Access to Care Act, which would allow undocumented migrants access to compare and shop for healthcare plans best suited for them.
Many of the exchange plans are heavily subsidized to balance coverage and costs for those with pre-existing conditions compared to younger healthier populations.
Plans to open the exchange to undocumented migrants was approved under the previous Joe Biden Presidency, however, the return of President Donald Trump has complicated matters.
Michele Eberle, Executive Director for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, explains the decision to delay.
With Congress recently passing the "Big Beautiful Bill (BBB)," the Administration has also blocked exchange access to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, who previously were eligible after being given “lawfully present” status.
But, since the BBB overhauled parts of the Affordable Care Act, DACA recipients no longer have that designation disqualifying them from receiving any form of government paid healthcare subsidies.
"I think the biggest message is for our immigrant community in Maryland," said Eberle. "So we will be here to help, this is just a delay, but in the meantime, we'll help you get coverage directly through carriers."
The BBB clamps down on what the Administration considers wasteful spending and fraud by eliminating automatic re-enrollment, and requiring income verification before applying for discounted healthcare exchange rates.
Prior the BBB's passage Baltimore City sued over the proposed policy. That case remains in litigation.
Aside from those changes, pandemic-era federal tax credits aimed to bring down costs of individual Affordable Care Act plans are set to expire at year's end, potentially causing rates to soar.
The Maryland Insurance Administration already approved an average premium increase of 13.4 percent across plans next year.
Although the federal government remains shutdown, Congress still has time to extend the credits, still officials are preparing for the worst case scenario where many could decide to drop their coverage due to higher premiums.
