Mass. health centers, Head Start worry federal change will imperil services to immigrants

Massachusetts community health centers and Head Start leaders are among the groups worried about a federal policy change that would cut off services to immigrants in the country without authorization.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that it will narrow a policy that allowed many immigrants to receive federal benefits. The announcement specifically mentions community health centers and Head Start, which provides early education and other services for low-income children and their families.

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement outlining the change. “[This] action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”

In announcing the policy change Thursday, the agency said it also applies to substance use and mental health providers, and some education and training vouchers, among other programs.

The announcement said the change takes effect immediately, and the administration will accept public comments until August 13.

At a virtual meeting of the National Association of Community Health Centers Monday, association leaders told hundreds of health care providers in attendance that it's "an open question" as to how the change will be implemented and enforced. Leaders advised providers to assess the the specific rules for their states and facilities. The national association, which represents 15,000 community health centers around the country, said it expects further guidance from the federal government.

Many community health providers said they haven't previously been required by federal law to verify a patient's citizenship, so they're scrambling to understand how to comply with the rule change. They also worry they may be forced to turn away people seeking medical care. There are 50 community health centers in Massachusetts, serving about a million patients a year, according to the state league of community health centers.

Michael Curry, president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, said the state's facilities will continue to support patients as the organization works to "fully understand this new rule and await further guidance."

"We are gravely concerned with any policy that discourages patients from seeking critical health care services, at the expense of their wellbeing, as well as the public’s health," Curry said. "When patients cannot access care, they will get sicker and be forced to get care at emergency rooms, putting further strain on our entire health care system, driving up costs, and exacerbating existing workforce shortages. That ultimately hurts all of us.”

Massachusetts Head Start officials also expressed worry over the new policy. They said it could harm families relying on services such as child care and preschool.

Michelle Haimowitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, said the change will mark the first time in the program's 60-year history that some children could be deemed ineligible for services. Currently, she said Head Start does not consider a family's immigration status when determining eligibility.

"There's no reason to instill new fears and new unnecessary requirements on eligibility of families," Haimowitz said. "We're serving the most vulnerable families who need this care. And serving these children and families, allowing these parents to work, supports us all. "

Currently, Haimowitz said her association is advising the 28 Head Start programs it represents in Massachusetts not to make any changes until there is more guidance from the White House. Massachusetts Head Start programs serve about 11,000 children each year.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it will challenge the policy change and may add the issue to its ongoing litigation over the Trump administration's attempt to dismantle Head Start.