There is less than a month to define the New York State Budget for the next fiscal year, and one of the great demands that the immigrant community, both the governor Andrew Cuomo, as to the State Legislature, is that the law of medical coverage for all is approved, regardless of immigration status.
That is the clamor that this Monday, in the middle of International Women’s Day, Dozens of women, activists and immigrants demonstrated in unison, who stood in front of the office of the New York Governorate, in Manhattan, to ask that they not be put aside. Not them or their families.
The protesters demanded that by law, they be protected with protections that allow, not only to have the security of health coverage when they need it, but also those people affected by the COVID-19, disproportionately, can access medical follow-up due to the consequences that the coronavirus has left them.
Specifically, they ask for the approval of the bills ‘A1585′” of the State Assembly and ‘S2549 ′ of the Senate, which creates a plan funded by the State, for $ 13 million, which would provide temporary health insurance to those New Yorkers with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level, who are recovering from COVID-19, and who are not eligible for health insurance, due to their immigration status.
“He gave me COVID in March and I called 911 to tell them that I was dying. They took my data and told me that they were going to call me quickly to help me, and until now, a year later, I’m still waiting for the callAnd since I don’t have health insurance, I was scared to go to a hospital and I had to heal myself with my home remedies, ”said the Mexican mother, originally from Michoacán. “I have already died about 50 people among my family and friends, I have consequences from COVID and I only ask for insurance to be able to treat me, but Cuomo has left us women like me and our families, in the abyss“.
They blame for undocumented deaths
In the protest they also blamed the Cuomo Administration for the death of more than 8,218 people who died of COVID-19 and that they did not have health insurance, a third of them were undocumented. An organization report ‘Families USA’ revealed that about 1 in 3 coronavirus deaths is related to lack of health insurance.
“We are tired of health inequitiesNot only are they killing us in the streets, but the system is also killing us. We are talking about 8,218 lives that could have been saved, and they were taken from us because of a health system that privileges some and lets others die, “he said. Jamie San Andrés, from the organization ‘Make the Road NY’.
The State Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, who was present at the demonstration, assured that it is urgent that the Legislature already approve the law to help health insurance for all.
“In this pandemic the undocumented have had zero help and this legislation would give health to all undocumented persons affected by COVID, men and women, although we must say that women are the most affected“Said the assemblywoman, who added that currently women bear the brunt.
“We are mothers, we are fathers, we have to take care of the families, take care of the community, we do not have well-paid jobs and women they are juggling their whole lives. Women lost 57% of jobs“Added the Queens policy, who asked the leaders of the Assembly and the Senate to pass the health insurance law.
Theresa Thanjan, of the organization ‘New York Inmigration Coalition’ denounced that there are cases in which undocumented women who went to hospitals to receive care for COVID-19, without having health insurance, were discharged in a hurry and did not receive full attention
“We want them to be protected. They are in danger to be left out of the medical response if this law is not approved. It is inconceivable that they are going through this, and that they are neglected when they are giving us everything as workers on the front line, ”said the activist, who highlighted that many women suffered with COVD-19 consequences such as drowning, pain and damage to vital organs and they deserve help.
The newspaper asked for comments, but still neither the Government nor the state Senate they had spoken out on the claims of the women.
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