I worked in health care in NY for 33 years and am familiar with the coverage eligibility for undocumented immigrants. Federal law permits Medicaid to cover emergency care for undocumented immigrants.
It does not allow the undocumented alien to obtain Medicaid where he/she could then take their Medicaid card to whatever provider of their choosing. What is permited is for Medicaid to pay for an emergency service and that service only. Thus, if an undocumented alien was stricken with a heart attack and taken to an emergency room and subsequently admitted, that hospital bill could be paid by Medicaid -- if the undocumented alien was otherwise eligible, ie, was eligible under the means test rules that apply to everyone. But, to emphasize, only that bill would be paid.
However, a pregnant undocumented alien could obtain Medicaid for the duration of her pregnancy and a few post partum visits. The offspring would be covered.
This has nothing to do with the current healthcare legislation, but thought you might want to know about these eligibility rules.
Payment Options – Public Health Insurance: Many immigrants are allowed to use public (government) health insurance programs to pay for the cost of their medical care. All categories of immigrants in New York State, including undocumented immigrants, are permitted to use Child Health Plus (for those younger than 19) and PCAP (for pregnant women). Emergency Medicaid is available to cover medical emergencies for low-income, undocumented immigrants. All categories of low-income legal immigrants in New York State are permitted to use Medicaid and Family Health Plus. All of these programs are now available regardless of how long a person has been in the country. Each program has its own rules about income and resources.
Some immigrants are not eligible for any public health insurance other than Emergency Medicaid, even though they have little income. For example, an adult immigrant who is undocumented is only eligible for public health insurance if she experiences an emergency or is pregnant
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