One of the most disturbing provisions in the billSection 3145would impose strict new documentation requirements on Medicaid applicants. Instead of allowing selfdeclaration of citizenship--as 47 states do todayapplicants have to show documentation of citizenship statussuch as a birth certificate or a passport. The authors are Section 3145 are apparently concerned that some ineligible immigrant pregnant woman. children or seniorswill slip through the cracks and get health care. Out of that unjustified and undocumented concern. they have created a provision that will actually penalize citizens and state Medicaid programs. First. there is no reason for Section 3145. It is a measure that seeks to address an illusory problem. Eligible immigrants already have to provide proof of their legal status when they apply for Medicaid. and states take steps to verify that status. Current law is working. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) looked at this issue and reported last July that they found no substantial evidence that immigrants are falsely claiming citizenship to qualify for Medicaid. OIG did not recommend eliminating the opportunity for selfdeclarations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has found no evidence that there is a problem and state Medicaid administrators have "not seen a problem with selfdeclaration of citizenship" based on the results of their quality control review systems.
Keywords matched
undocumented immigrant immigrants