Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is calling for a 25% funding increase to a health insurance program for legal immigrants in his new budget proposal. Massachusetts does not receive federal reimbursement for the immigrants' coverage, as it does for other healthcare programs. Last year, the immigrants lost their coverage in Commonwealth Care, the state-subsidized program for low-income residents, after lawmakers eliminated $130 million in funding to help balance the state’s budget. The Legislature ultimately restored about a third of the money, and the immigrants were given stripped-down healthcare plans, the Boston Globe reports.
