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Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Citizenship Requirements- Backdoor Budget Cuts?
Quick comment on Robert Pear's article yesterday on Medicaid- a must-read, by the way- that demonstrated that falling caseloads may be in part due to new "proof of citizenship" requirements.
Medicaid costs, too, have been going down. Supposing these two trends are related, and it would seem they are, citizenship documentation seems nothing more than a high-handed way to cut budgets and deny people (the vast majority of whom are citizens) health care. Let's remember this if the President ever decides to boast of the cost-containment his policies have achieved.
UPDATE: That was quick- CongressDaily ($) reports that the upcoming supplemental appropriations bill will try to address the citizenship issue.
The supplemental also would ensure that individuals applying for Medicaid have the same "reasonable time period" to show citizenship documents as they would in applying for other programs such as food stamps. It would clarify that children born in U.S. hospitals meet Medicaid's citizenship requirement, regardless of the immigration status of the parent.
Posted by Matt Lewis
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