00:00
So brother, you just had a baby,
00:01
right? And if you don't mind me asking how much it
00:04
would cost you. Well,
00:06
actually it wasn't that bad because of my wife's health insurance.
00:09
I was looking at the cash price but because of her health
00:11
insurance, it was actually pretty affordable.
00:13
I was scared. So I can only imagine people that don't
00:17
have health insurance. Me dude,
00:21
it's expensive. It is expensive.
00:24
It's crazy because some people that have health insurance don't even use
00:26
it, right? Because they're scared of just even going to
00:29
the doctor. But imagine people that want health insurance but are
00:32
scared to go because they think it's so expensive to even get
00:35
it or because of their you know,
00:36
immigration status. Like the guy from Baltimore.
00:41
that was part of the news that there was an undocumented immigrant
00:43
working on the bridge and who knows what happened?
00:47
He or she I can remember didn't go seek medical attention because
00:52
of their immigration status.
00:53
Most likely like they're probably scared to be outed and targeted.
00:58
Well, the good news is that in the state of California
01:00
there's actually medical plans and assistance that undocumented immigrants could you know
01:05
take advantage of and use and other states too.
01:09
Ah Well, there you go even better but to speak specifically
01:12
on California, we have Renee Malo of me joining us to
01:16
break down how they can apply and use these resources.
01:19
Hello, Renee. Hello,
01:23
So I'm going to hop right in.
01:24
We can talk about me.
01:25
But what does me do for patients for people that need medical
01:31
the services we provide are comprehensive in nature and they provide a
01:35
wide range of services for individuals.
01:38
So just an example of the covered services in our program includes
01:43
like hospital services, emergency care services.
01:48
If a person is pregnant,
01:49
we cover prenatal services and postpartum care for individuals.
01:54
We also cover laboratory services or like if you have
01:59
to go and have a lab work drawn medications,
02:03
dental services, vision services.
02:05
And then for some people who may require support in a
02:10
nursing home, we also provide nursing home care for individuals.
02:14
And is it hard to apply?
02:16
I feel like adulting now for us,
02:18
like it's scary to call the doctor's office for an appointment but
02:21
it all these applications and process is actually relatively easy or it
02:24
really is easy to apply for the program.
02:27
People can apply by mail,
02:30
they can call on the phone to our counties to make an
02:33
application, they can go in person.
02:36
To our county offices.
02:38
They can also apply online.
02:39
So we do have ways in which people can apply.
02:42
We do know one of the things that's on our application is
02:50
information to help prove someone's identity.
02:53
That is a federal requirement because our program is financed with federal
02:57
funds. So we have requirements that we have to meet both
03:00
from a federal perspective,
03:02
as well as a state perspective.
03:04
You know, a driver's license can be used for that school
03:07
ID, employer ID or a birth certificate.
03:11
We do ask on our application if someone has a social
03:15
security number, but if they don't,
03:17
that's not a reason to not complete the application because you can
03:20
still apply for the program if you do not have a social
03:24
Security number. And again,
03:26
if there's a question about your residency,
03:29
then we may ask for something on the back end in terms
03:32
of paper documentation. So undocumented immigrants can apply for Medicare on
03:37
during that time. So remember,
03:39
yes, so whether you are here And,
03:44
and if you're not documented,
03:45
that's not a barrier to apply for,
03:48
got it. Do you know if there's a risk like any
03:51
risk that applying, you know,
03:52
will jeopardize future applications for residency or citizenship?
03:58
Like for example, like public charge,
04:00
like is there any risks?
04:02
Because I know like,
04:03
I mean, there's a lot of immigrants,
04:05
undocumented immigrants who are like scared to even apply for Medicare because
04:09
it kind of like they're afraid that it puts a target on
04:12
them. What would you say there is no risk.
04:15
So under the public charge rule,
04:19
individuals that apply for Medicaid services are not subject to public charge
04:25
So that is not a barrier to applying for our
04:27
program here in California or in any state.
04:30
It's not a, it's not a barrier and we don't want
04:33
anyone to be afraid to apply for a program because that's why
04:36
we exist. That's why the program is here.
04:38
We want to make sure that people that are eligible for the
04:46
and utilize the services because that's the other thing we don't want
04:49
people to apply, but then also be afraid to use the
04:52
services. That's why we just do the work that we do
04:56
and have the infrastructure to deliver for the services that people are
05:01
entitled to once they are found to be eligible for our progress
05:05
Definitely. Thank you so much,
05:08
Thank you. If you guys have family members who are undocumented
05:12
or are undocumented, yourselves,
05:16
you know, spread the word.
05:18
A lot of undocumented immigrants don't know that this program even exists
05:21
or that they're eligible for it.
05:23
So yeah, spread the word.
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