Do you wish to access Medicaid services? If you are eligible for Medicaid and wish to access its services, you need to show proof of U.S. citizenship such as a birth certificate, passport or another form of identification.
This new federal law will take effect on July 1st. The new requirement was included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which President Bush signed into law earlier this year.
It is intended to prevent undocumented immigrants from claiming to be citizens in order to receive health insurance benefits provided to legal residents. Under federal law, undocumented immigrants can receive only emergency care through Medicaid.
Some health care specialists are concerned that with the new citizenship requirements, many Medicaid beneficiaries, including those who are mentally disabled or homeless, will not be able to produce documentation and will have difficulty receiving Medicaid services.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the requirement will save the federal government $220 million over five years and $735 million over 10 years. CBO says that by 2015, about 35,000 people -- mostly undocumented immigrants -- will lose coverage because of the new requirement.
However, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that three million to five million low-income citizens could not avail of Medicaid services because they do not have birth certificates or passports.
Source: New York Times
