Medicaid Recipients will need citizenship

[TriSec]

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/aging/articles/2006/06/05/medicaid_recipients_will_need_citizenship/

WASHINGTON --Tens of millions of low-income Americans will soon have to show their birth certificates or U.S. passports if they want to obtain health care through their state Medicaid programs.

The requirement that beneficiaries provide proof of citizenship goes into effect July 1. It's designed to root out cases of illegal immigrants getting their health care paid for by the government.

Health analysts say they fear the provision could prevent some citizens from getting health care.

Advocacy groups for the homeless and mentally ill have asked the Bush administration to presume that beneficiaries seeking care are eligible for the health insurance program for the poor. Then, they would be given time to get the necessary documents.

"They may not have kept the best records, particularly those with serious mental health disorders," said Kirsten Beronio, senior director of government affairs for the National Mental Health Association. "For them, there needs to be some accommodations made that other types of records could be used."

[Debau2005]

1. This is crap!

I am so tired of everyone moaning that illegal immigrants are getting fat and happy on welfare and medicaid. I was a welfare social worker for 6 years, very few illegal immigrants applied for benefits, they don't want to call attention to themselves or families for one thing, and for another you had to show ID. We were taught to spot fake green cards, social security cards, etc.

I am sure there is more welfare and medicaid fraud committed by "American citizens" then illegal immigrants.

This is just another way to discriminate against the poor, homeless, and disadvantaged by the criminals currently in office!:mad:

[Arkansas Granny]

5. Unless things have changed tremendously recently,

the only way get fat and happy on welfare and medicaid was to commit fraud. The benefits are not nearly as generous as some people seem the think and the qualification process is time consuming and intrusive.

[jwirr]

2. I have had to show my birth certificate for Medicaid, Food Stamps

and AFDC for years. This is nothing new.

[elehhhhna]

3. why offer cheapass preventive care when they can just get dumped

on emergency rooms? Simply ridiculous.


I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. mm gandhi

[brokensymmetry]

4. Yep, that's the problem.

So local hospital ERs will be driven
closer to the breaking point.

[TriSec]

6. What the?

In an unrelated story, this little tidbit is making the rounds where I work. The feds pay for illegals anyway???? Any researchers out there that can shed some more light on this?

"Section 1011, Federal Reimbursement of Emergency Health Services Furnished to Undocumented Aliens program."

But....didn't you just say they needed passports?

:wtf: