In newspapers
today:
Tough rules for immigrants may cut medical aid for others
By Robert Pear The New York Times
SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2006
WASHINGTON More than 50 million Medicaid recipients will soon have to produce birth certificates, passports or other documents to prove that they are U.S. citizens, and everyone who applies for coverage after June 30 will have to show similar documents under a new federal law.
The requirement is meant to stop the "theft of Medicaid benefits by illegal aliens," in the words of Representative Charlie Norwood, Republican of Georgia, a principal author of the provision, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Feb. 8.
I am a registered nurse in a regional trauma center serving 3 states and am extremely concerned by this.
We take care of many indigent people including those illegally living and working here and they are never asked about the legality of their residency. They receive the same awesome care that we give to the zillionaires who travel halfway across the globe to have our foot surgeons repair the damage done by wearing too many pairs of cruel shoes. In fact caring for such folks is what our mission statement is all about.
It's hard for me to see us turning away anyone but if our hospital doesn't get reimbursed by Medicaid as we are now then I can only see deep cuts happening. (As it is now some years we operate at a loss, other years only a few hundred thousand dollars ahead--this "bottom line" affects our ability to buy equipment and pay staff.)
And perhaps patient care will suffer too as management tried to cut costs by pushing people out before they are really ready--we already see this sometimes.
This will also cause so many problems for those without the resources to prove they are citizens--the consequences of this will be to have their benefits revoked.
This law will be a nightmare and I am truly frightened by it.