A new pilot program launching next spring in New York City will expand low-cost healthcare to uninsured immigrants regardless of their legal status, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday, according to Reuters.
The pilot program, called Direct Access, involves network of primary and preventive healthcare providers aimed at caring for uninsured and low-income immigrants. It will first apply to 1,000 immigrants and is expected to expand in the following years. Some of the people covered by the program are legal immigrants but still ineligible for support under the Affordable Care Act, according to the report.
The Direct Access program will cost $6 million to launch.
Currently, many of the city's uninsured immigrants lack primary care physicians and obtain healthcare services from emergency facilities with limited access to preventive care.
"The City's actions today are the first step in our efforts to develop a fully inclusive health care system that protects all of our residents, regardless of immigration status," Nisha Agarwal, commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, said in a statement, according to Reuters.
In an effort to remove barriers that discourage immigrants in New York from seeking primary or preventive care — such as cost and language barriers — Direct Access will provide information and education on the program in more languages and conduct public outreach to immigrants, according to the report.
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