A Medicaid Mess: Citizenship Rule Pinches The Wrong Pennies
The Dallas Morning News has a thoughtful editorial today regarding rule changes to prevent illegal aliens from receiving free medical treatment for their children. Here are excerpts from the editorial:
Hospitals and doctors across the country report that newborns have been denied coverage since a federal policy that prohibits automatic Medicaid eligibility to babies took effect this year. And it's only a matter of time before this new law results in unintended tragedy.Before President Bush signed the change into law in February, babies in most states were automatically eligible for Medicaid. States had to cover children's medical expenses for one year. The new policy requires that parents also fill out an application and prove the child is a U.S. citizen. The problem? Processing birth certificates can sometimes take weeks - or months.
Texas has long required proof of identity for Medicaid applicants. But the additional proof of citizenship requirement is making it more difficult to get help at chronically understaffed and overwhelmed eligibility offices in such cities as Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin.
The new guidelines are designed to curb fraudulent abuse of Medicaid benefits, a worthy goal. But innocent children should not be left vulnerable because of possible paperwork tie-ups.
Even worse, misinformation might keep parents from taking their child to the hospital until the baby is gravely ill. Also, consider that denying health care now will only be more costly when the child ends up in the emergency room - which by law must provide help to all in need.
One thing we can all agree on is that denying medical services to a young child - who has no culpability in where he or she is born - is cruel and unusual punishment. Let's get this straightened out before we read about that first needless infant death.