WNYC and New Jersey Public Radio teamed up with New Jersey Citizen Action to host an Obamacare enrollment fair in Newark on Sunday. Several of the people who enrolled had gone years without any health coverage.

“I’m a single father and I need to make sure everything is alright so I can finish raising my daughter,” said Peter Marsh who has been without health insurance for more than 20 years.  

Marsh, like many Newarkers,  showed up hoping to sign up for the Affordable Care Act. He didn't realize he met the federal income requirements for Medicaid – fully subsidized health insurance.  

But Tobias Fox from Newark Community Health Centers said a law in New Jersey is preventing hundreds of legal permanent residents from qualifying for Medicaid, which in the Garden State is called New Jersey FamilyCare. Legal permanent residents in the state must have had a Green Card for 5 years in order to qualify.

“Having a Green Card for five years is not a requirement in New York, but it is a law in New Jersey,” Fox said. “It saddens me a lot when I’m assisting a lot of people whose income is very low, but because of their immigration status, whatever their status may be, prevents them from having Medicaid.”

Last year, WNYC reported Latinos in particular did not sign up for the Affordable Care Act at the same rate as other groups in New Jersey. 

Click play to hear from Newark residents who signed up for health insurance. 

This series is produced with support from The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.