Anti-Immigrant Medicaid Rule Hurts Citizens

By: lauralib
Published On: 3/13/2007 1:57:07 PM

The New York Times published yesterday an account of how the new requirement to prove U.S. citizenship to obtain Medicaid services is hurting Americans.
http://www.nytimes.c...
According to Cynthia Jones, chief deputy director for the state's Department of Medical Assistance Services, about 12,000 children have dropped off the Virginia Medicaid rolls

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
"...evidence from Virginia suggests that a significant number of the people who have lost or been denied Medicaid coverage as a result of the new rule are U.S. citizens.  In Virginia, the number of children on Medicaid declined by 12,000 from July through November but then increased slightly in December.  State officials say the increase suggests that children who were eligible for Medicaid at the time they applied but lacked the required documentation were ultimately approved for coverage after delays of many months, during which they were uninsured."

A previous article (Nov. 11, 2006) cited hospitals as seeking this proof of citizenship for newborns (even though the constitution states that individuals born in this country are automatically citizens).

How far are we willing to go in harming needy children to satisfy our xenophobia?

Comments



I wrote the other day about a related problem (PM - 3/14/2007 2:06:56 PM)
The fact that deportations of illegal immigrants in many cases has meant the child legally born here all of a sudden has a parent taken away from them.

There's just got to be a better way to handle the immigrant problem.  But this administration can't seem to do anything right -- mostly because the political pals they put in jobs aren't competent.