Media Contact: Gabriela Hernandez, [email protected],Jossie Flower Sapunar, [email protected]

Media Advisory: Friday, March 31, 2023

Annapolis, MD – Uninsured immigrants and healthcare activists are holding a rapid response rally to raise alarm in support of the stalledAccess to Care Act (HB588). Members call on Senate President Ferguson and Finance Committee Chair Melony Griffithto do everything possible to ensure this critical legislation is voted out of committee and passed into law. The Access to Care Act removes immigration status as an eligibility requirement for purchasing a health plan through Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE), requiring the state to seek federal approval by submitting a state innovation waiver.


This bill moved quickly through the House with a 100-38 vote and is widely supported by key leaders and organizations, notably the Maryland Hospital Association, several community clinics, and the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. Now in the Senate, the House bill must continue to charge ahead.


WHAT: Access to Care Rapid Response Rally


WHEN: March 31, 2023, @ 9 AM


WHERE: Lawyers Mall, Annapolis, MD


WHO: 100 + CASA members who face challenges due to lack of access to healthcare and allies


MORE: HB588 will ensure that over 275,000 uninsured Marylanders who are currently foregoing routine checkups, and being hospitalized for health conditions that could have been prevented, have access to a doctor when and where they need it. Integrating this excluded community into our healthcare system will decrease the patient load on our overburdened hospital system and community clinics.

This critical legislation will be the first step in ensuring that valued members of the community receive the critical and often life-saving preventative care needed.


RSVP: Jossie Flor Sapunar,[email protected], 240-706-2624 or Gabriela Hernandez, [email protected], 240-515-5561, to contact legislative experts who can detail the legislative aspects, healthcare industry, and recent trends that have made access to healthcare a top priority for the organization’s immigrant and working-class membership. In addition, CASA can arrange one-on-one interviews at an immigrant’s home, sharing their healthcare story with supporting imagery (medical devices, hospital bills, etc.)


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