The Massachusetts Medical Society today responded to the new
“public charge’ regulation:
As a physician who cares for patients in a
community health center setting and as president of the Massachusetts
Medical Society, I am as fearful as I am certain that the
administration’s public charge regulation will have direct and
dire consequences for our most marginalized and at-risk patients.
Physicians recognize that social determinants
play a pivotal role in one’s ability to access appropriate, quality
medical care, and the fact that those who are disadvantaged will be
penalized for utilizing Medicaid, food and housing
assistance and other services aimed at addressing social determinants
is inhumane.
By policy and by moral and professional obligation, the Massachusetts Medical Society is
committed to working for the best
possible health care for every person in the Commonwealth regardless of
racial identification, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation,
gender identity, religious affiliation, disability,
immigration status, or economic status.
The Massachusetts
Medical Society asserts that health care is a basic human right, and it
is disheartening and to see that notion challenged and health
jeopardized anywhere in the world, let alone in Massachusetts and in the United States.
The families and individuals most at-risk of
being hurt by the public charge rule are our patients, and because they
are our patients, the medical society and will work alongside those who
will challenge this rule.”
- Maryanne C. Bombaugh, MD, MSc, MBA, FACOG, President of the Massachusetts Medical Society
