Crossing the Brridge:

U
Understa
anding th
he Comm
monwealtth Care Bridge Pro
ogram

What is the Commonwealth Caree Bridge prrogram?

• A state-ssubsidized health
h insurrance program for “speccial status” legal immiggrants who lost
l their
Common nwealth Carre coverage on August 31,3 2009 beecause on Au ugust 31, 20009 becausee of a cut byy
the statee legislaturee.
• Common nwealth Carre Bridge, oro the Bridgge program for short, wasw created d by the Admministration n
and the Legislature
L to provide coverage fo
or the indiviiduals left uninsured by y these chan
nges.
• Bridge iss managed through CeeltiCare and d offers mosst of the ben nefits of Commonwealth Care, but
does nott include deental, visionn, hospice orr skilled nu
ursing care. However th he patient contribution
c n
is higherr and netwo ork more limmited.

Who is eligiblle for the Bridge

B pro
ogram?

An in
ndividual iss eligible forr the Bridgee program iff:
• They aree a special status legal immigrant
i (
(AWSS)
o Who
W are “speecial status”” immigrantts?
ƒ This status
s applies to individduals who are
a not otheerwise federrally qualifieed:
ƒ Legal Permanent Resident / green carrd holders and paroleees who enteered the USS
after 8/22/96 AN ND have had d status for less than 5 years;
ƒ PRUC COL immigraants and individuals with tem mporary prrotected sttatus (TPS))
or appplications pending
p for asylum;
a
ƒ Otherrs known to o USCIS to bee legally preesent
• They weere enrolled in Common nwealth Carre as of Auggust 31, 2009
• They losst their Com mmonwealth h Care coverrage on Auggust 31, 2009 due to chaanges in staate law
• They stilll meet the eligibility
e reequirementss for Comm monwealth Care
C except for
f immigraation status

Note: speciial status im

N mmigrants who
w were not
n enrolled d in Commo onwealth Caare on Auguust 31, 20099
a not eliggible for thee Bridge pro
are ogram. There is no ap
pplication process;
p eligible immiggrants weree
a
automatical ly enrolled in 2009.

CommCare Bridgee Fact Sheet – Updated Feb 2011 – Pagge 1 of 2

www
w.miracoalitio
on.org
What services does thee Bridge prrogram prrovide?

• Similar to
t CommCarre, the Bridgge program
m provides co overage forr all basic heealth servicees.
• Bridge patients
p mu
ust be seen n at a Celittcare contraacted proviider for mo ore informaation visit -
http://w
www.celticarehealthplaan.com/currrent-membeers/benefits/commonw wealth-caree-bridge/

Note: CommCare Brid

N dge members can get dental and vision serv vices at com
mmunity heealth centerr
t
through the Health Safeety Net (calll 1-877-910
0-2100 for more
m inform
mation)

Bud
dget Updatte:

• In Decem
mber 2010 during finaal Supplemeental Budgeet, the administration and legislatture funded d
the Brid
dge program m through FY 2011. However, the t future of Bridge after
a June 30,
3 2011, iss
unclear. While funding has beeen included d in the Gov
vernor’s Bu
udget for FY
Y 2012, it has
h yet to bee
d in the Ho
included ouse versio on. Thereffore, MIRA will contin nue to work diligentlly with thee
administtration, legislature, and
d allies to prreserve and
d improve th
he Bridge Prrogram.

Morre informaation on th
he Commo
onwealth Care
C Bridgge program
m, updatess, servicess and
enro
ollment:

• Bridge program
p upddates:
http://m
mahealthcarretrainingforum.ehs.staate.ma.us/leegalimmigraants/index.aspx
• MIRA Cooalition: htttp://www.mmiracoalition.org/
• Health Care
C For All: http://ww
ww.hcfama.oorg/ Consummer Helplinee: 1-800-27
72-4232

For further qu
uestions, please
p con
ntact:

Nicole Tambouret, State

S Policy
y Director, MIRA
M Coalitiion
ntambou uret@miraccoalition.orgg or 617-350-5480 ext.. 222

CommCare Bridgee Fact Sheet – Updated Feb 2011 – Pagge 2 of 2

www
w.miracoalitio
on.org