The Bush Administration has backtracked on its commitment to require Medicaid recipients to show proof of citizenship to continue receiving benefits. At least eight million people will be exempted from the requirement because they established citizenship when they applied for Medicare or Supplemental Security Income.
Is “established” the same as “proved”? Did the Medicare and Supplemental Security Income recipients show documentation or simply check a box?
Last week I wrote that the new law went into effect on July 1. Last month “anti-poverty” groups filed a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, contending that the citizenship requirement violates recipients’ constitutional rights. Last week, a federal judge held hearings on the matter. Some speculate this is why the rules were relaxed.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has published a fact sheet (PDF) with information on the new law and how it will affect Medicaid beneficiaries and the states. The states of New York, Georgia, Montana, and New Hampshire already have proof of citizenship policies in place.
Kaiser published a study on New York’s 30-year-old proof of citizenship requirement. You may download the 30-page report, Citizenship Documentation Requirements in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: Lessons from New York (PDF).
Sources: New York Times and Reuters
