An expansion to the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) is giving free health care to Central Oregon’s immigrant community.
For the first time, people can qualify for full OHP benefits regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
“There are some clients that haven’t seen a doctor in so many years, or a dentist. This is very important for us to do marketing, to do the outreach and give them the information and the assistance that they need,” said Hilda Leon, Community Engagement and Communications Coordinator for the Latino Community Association.
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The Latino Community Association, in league with Volunteers in Medicine and Mosaic Community Health has been on a mission to inform Central Oregon’s Immigrant Community of potentially life saving health coverage.
“It is just an income qualification now,” Executive Director for Volunteers in Medicine Kat Mastrangelo said. “Anybody, regardless of their immigration status or how long they’ve been here as long as they meet the income guidelines, which for Oregon is 138% of the Federal Poverty Limit (FPL). You can submit an application and be eligible for OHP.”
138% limit of FPL for a family of four:
- Income of $41,400 annually
- Income of $3,450 monthly
- Income of $1,592 biweekly
- Income of $796 weekly
“The more people we can get insured, the more people we keep out of the emergency room, the more people we can keep on their job, the more people who can continue with their life because they have that healthcare foundation,” Director of Strategy and Development at Mosaic Community Health Elaine Knobbs-Seasholtz said.
The partnership says it has helped more than 300 people get on the Oregon Health Plan.
