Andrew Friedman

Attack the Vulnerable, Create 2nd Class Citizens

That seems to be the Republican plan on Medicaid.

An article that came out late last week in the New York Times, titled Medicaid Wants Citizenship Proof for Infant Care, detailed the particulars of this shameless assault.

Until recently, babies born to low-income recipients of Medicaid were deemed to be eligible for Medicaid themeselves for their first year of life. Now, all applicants for Medicaid must provide proof of citizenship. For many, this is not an onerous requirement, but for some it is. For example, the citizen child of an undocumented immigrant will need to wait weeks for her birth certificate, and her parents might simply be too scared of deportation to apply. The increased beauracracy will likely lead to babiesnot getting the immunizations or preventative care they need. Not only is it cruel, it is likely to be more expensive over the long haul.

The New York Immigration Coalition estimates that another 1 million disabled and elderly adults will also have a tough time complying with the new documentation requirements. Not just babies, the elderly and disabled will suffer, too.

This is about as stark as it gets - targeting the disabled and newborn babies' access to health care.

Just remember this if you are feeling uninspired to vote tomorrow.

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Posted at 8:42 AM, Nov 06, 2006 in Health Care
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