US rule demands proof of citizenship for healthcare

**Hardrock69** · 04-13-2006, 09:43 AM

Law could hurt the state's poorest

By Scott Helman, Globe Staff | April 11, 2006

Almost all of the state's poorest residents will have to show proof of US citizenship to continue getting medical care by July 1, under a little-noticed federal law that could endanger coverage for many, as Massachusetts is trying to expand access to healthcare.
Article Tools

Born out of ongoing efforts in Washington to clamp down on illegal immigration, the new federal requirement compels anyone seeking Medicaid coverage to provide a birth certificate, a passport, or another form of identification in order to sign up for benefits or renew them.

No such proof is required now.

The requirement was tucked into the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which President Bush signed into law earlier this year.

The measure was part of an effort to limit the skyrocketing growth of federal entitlement programs. It has surfaced as Massachusetts begins to implement its sweeping healthcare plan, which aims to bring health coverage to almost all of the state's uninsured, in part by enrolling those in Medicaid who are eligible but who have not signed up.

Healthcare specialists voiced fear that because many Medicaid recipients -- including the homeless and the mentally disabled -- won't be able to easily produce documentation of their citizenship, they will have difficultly receiving care at community health centers, hospitals, or anywhere else.

''So we've got people in nursing homes, people in the [state Department of Mental Retardation] institutions, we've got the homeless, we've got the . . . mentally ill who now will have to come up with some verification to prove that they're citizens," said Victoria Pulos, health law attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. ''It's ironic that this is happening in the state where part of the health reform plan is to make sure that everyone who's eligible for Medicaid is enrolled."

The new federal requirement, which all states have to comply with, would apply to the vast majority of the more than 1 million people on MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program.

The intent is to prevent undocumented immigrants from posing as citizens and taking advantage of taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits that are afforded only to legal residents. (Under federal law, undocumented immigrants can receive only emergency Medicaid care; Massachusetts has 40,000 on such a program, which is called MassHealth Limited.)

Less than three months before the new citizenship requirement takes effect, though, Massachusetts and other states are waiting for guidance from the federal government on how it will work.

Mary Kahn, a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said that the agency is writing the regulations, but that there is no indication of a delay.

Massachusetts already compels Medicaid recipients to verify their incomes, usually through W-2 forms, to ensure that the figure is low enough to qualify for the program. The state Medicaid director, Beth Waldman, played down the difficulty of adding another requirement.

'This shouldn't take away from people's access to healthcare," Waldman said. ''All you need to do is show that you're a citizen."
Article Tools

Waldman said that many of the state's 1,033,000 MassHealth recipients are not likely to have trouble proving citizenship, because they have already had to do so in registering with some other federal program, such as Social Security. (About 478,000 MassHealth members, for example, also get Medicare, Social Security, or welfare benefits, the state says.)

Some healthcare advocates, though, described the new rules as onerous on community health centers and other healthcare providers, but more so on Medicaid recipients, many of whom, they said, may not continue getting care if they cannot provide the paperwork or may have to wait to get treatment until they can locate the right documents.

''We're in the business of trying to make central Dorchester and parts of Mattapan a healthier place," said Bill Walczak, chief executive officer of Dorchester's Codman Square Health Center. ''We didn't create the healthcare centers to become citizenship enforcement centers."

The provision was added to the Deficit Reduction Act by two Republican representatives from Georgia, Charles Norwood and Nathan Deal, who have been outspoken against illegal immigration. Bush signed the legislation two months ago, saying, ''The bill I sign today restrains spending for entitlement programs while ensuring that Americans who rely on Medicare and Medicaid continue to get the care they need."

Chris Riley, Deal's chief of staff, said yesterday that the citizenship provision was simply about ''enforcing the law."

''The intent was to verify that US citizens are getting Medicaid," Riley said.

Norwood issued a statement in February saying, ''After years of listening to 'advocates' whine about compassion for those who intentionally break our laws for financial gain, I'm glad to see us finally showing some compassion for our own poor and sick who abide by the law."

State Representative Marie J. Parente, a Milford Democrat who speaks often about restricting illegal immigration, said she agreed with Norwood's statement. Parente said she was at an event in Peabody yesterday at which someone asked her about healthcare for illegal immigrants.

''I said, 'Why don't you have the same compassion for the American people who don't have a good healthcare plan?' " said Parente, who hosted a meeting on immigration last week at the State House that she said drew more than 1,000 people.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C., issued a report this year saying that the rule would affect nearly 50 million people nationwide.

It would, the report said, ''almost certainly create significant enrollment barriers for millions of low-income citizens who meet all Medicaid eligibility requirements."

An evaluation of the Medicaid program by the inspector general of the US Department of Health and Human Services in July 2005 recommended the agency strengthen quality control to prevent abuse by noncitizens.

It did not, however, recommend requiring recipients to provide proof of citizenship.

Healthcare providers said it was too early to know how the federal requirement would affect Massachusetts, but they say they would always treat people who need care, no matter their ability to pay nor their documentation. They said it could, however, create complications for them in qualifying for federal reimbursement.

''We know that this will create some potential problems for folks in traditional Medicaid programs," said a Massachusetts Hospital Association spokesman, Paul Wingle. ''What this comes down to for hospitals is really not . . . whether folks get urgently needed care. It comes down to whether or not that care will be reimbursed."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...thcare/?page=1

This is a step in the right direction.

Force immigrants to PROVE they are here legally.

Hey if they do not want to play by the rules, then too fucking bad.

**Switch84** · 04-13-2006, 01:27 PM

Why is it when the states decide to do something (on their level) to stem the tide of abuse of taxpayer-funded programs, somebody jumps out of the 'victim' bag? What the fuck, people! It was the same sob story the race pimps used here (Georgia) last year when the state legislators drafted the Voter ID law! The reasoning was the same for this bill that Medicaid is using...stemming the tide of FRAUD, specifically by illegals. Georgia's DMV even dispatched roving offices all over the state to help people get the voter ID card for FREE and people still bitched, crying 'racism', 'classism',and the other usual suspect pimp phrases.

Enough already! If you're not a legal resident of this nation, YOU SHOULDN'T GET TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF IT.

**jhale667** · 04-13-2006, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Switch84

Enough already! If you're not a legal resident of this nation, YOU SHOULDN'T GET TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF IT.

Exactly, exactly.

**knuckleboner** · 04-13-2006, 02:01 PM

the other side of that argument is that some people will come here, whether or not they have access to health care. (and let's be honest, how many illegal aliens actually take health care into account when they come here? any?)

and when they do, if they DON'T have access to health care, they're going to eventually wind up in our emergency rooms, instead. that costs money, too. and for routine problems that go unchecked by normal health care, emergency room visits are often more expensive than preventative medicine.

i'm not saying that keeping the system the way it is is the right solution. but the issue is a bit more complex than simply saying, "if you're not here legally, we won't pay."

**Angel** · 04-13-2006, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Switch84
Enough already! If you're not a legal resident of this nation, YOU SHOULDN'T GET TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF IT.

I agree with you 100% Switch!

Here is where you finally get to see my cuntservative side. PUT THEM ALL ON THE FUCKING BOAT AND SHIP EM BACK WHERE THEY CAME!

My God people, we have fucking universal health care up here, but you don't get it if you're not legal!!!

What fucking BS! I wonder how much of your 9 trillion dollar debt comes from $$ forked out to benefits for illegals?

**stringfelowhawk** · 04-13-2006, 04:13 PM

Let me unroll my two "Lincoln's" for a sec.

I keep seeing protesters holding up signs and while screaming, "I AM NOT A CRIMINAL"! Then I heard about this high school kid trying to prove it by giving her sob story of having a 4.13 GPA and other "achievements" asking if, "Am I a criminal"?

I suppose the irony of this situation is lost on them. Maybe I don't understand the definition of "illegal" here so help me if I'm wrong but doesn't the issue of being an "illegal immigrant" make them criminals? I find that argument funny cause they're all contradicting their own position making it obsolete.

**Hardrock69** · 04-13-2006, 04:58 PM

They do not understand that by being here illegally, that DOES mean they have BROKEN THE LAW!

They are CRIMINALS!

Ship them back to where they came from, and if they are SO fucking desperate to live here, let them fill out the proper paperwork and come back LEGALLY. Then they can be a part of this great nation of ours, and nobody will have a problem with that.

**Blackflag** · 04-13-2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hardrock69
They do not understand that by being here illegally, that DOES mean they have BROKEN THE LAW!

They are CRIMINALS!

Ship them back to where they came from, and if they are SO fucking desperate to live here, let them fill out the proper paperwork and come back LEGALLY. Then they can be a part of this great nation of ours, and nobody will have a problem with that.

Hey, no problem. Those of us that pay taxes already pay for citizens who want a handout instead of work... why not give out two handouts? Hell, raise the taxes. That will pay for it.

**BITEYOASS** · 04-13-2006, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Angel
I agree with you 100% Switch!

Here is where you finally get to see my cuntservative side. PUT THEM ALL ON THE FUCKING BOAT AND SHIP EM BACK WHERE THEY CAME!

My God people, we have fucking universal health care up here, but you don't get it if you're not legal!!!

What fucking BS! I wonder how much of your 9 trillion dollar debt comes from $$ forked out to benefits for illegals?

Or just drop em' off in other countries. Let's see here your a Mexican coke dealer, hmmmm let's just drop you off in sayyyyy COLUMBIA! ahh so your from the Dominican Republic, let's just drop you off in uhhhhhhh HAITI!! That'll stop em in they're tracks!

**knuckleboner** · 04-13-2006, 10:14 PM

uh...ok.

illegal is illegal. and if the feds want to begin strongly enforcing the borders and deporting, so be it.

but until they do, there's still the problem of what to do with those that are here.

and i'm telling you, if we force everybody illegal into emergency rooms, instead of preventative care, it will cause other problems...

**Nickdfresh** · 04-13-2006, 10:28 PM

I guess nobody is ever "breaking the law" when speeding then? You're all criminals, well, most of us anyways...

04-13-2006, 09:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
Hardrock69 Rock God DIAMOND STATUS Join Date: Feb 2005 Member Number: 11017 Location: A Small Dive in a trashy neighborhood somewhere on Fornax 9 Posts: 12,612 Thanks: 89 Thanked 389 Times in 238 Posts Groans: 46 Groaned at 53 Times in 50 Posts Rep Power: 22 Last Online: Today 05:53 PM	US rule demands proof of citizenship for healthcare Law could hurt the state's poorest By Scott Helman, Globe Staff \| April 11, 2006 Almost all of the state's poorest residents will have to show proof of US citizenship to continue getting medical care by July 1, under a little-noticed federal law that could endanger coverage for many, as Massachusetts is trying to expand access to healthcare. Article Tools Born out of ongoing efforts in Washington to clamp down on illegal immigration, the new federal requirement compels anyone seeking Medicaid coverage to provide a birth certificate, a passport, or another form of identification in order to sign up for benefits or renew them. No such proof is required now. The requirement was tucked into the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which President Bush signed into law earlier this year. The measure was part of an effort to limit the skyrocketing growth of federal entitlement programs. It has surfaced as Massachusetts begins to implement its sweeping healthcare plan, which aims to bring health coverage to almost all of the state's uninsured, in part by enrolling those in Medicaid who are eligible but who have not signed up. Healthcare specialists voiced fear that because many Medicaid recipients -- including the homeless and the mentally disabled -- won't be able to easily produce documentation of their citizenship, they will have difficultly receiving care at community health centers, hospitals, or anywhere else. ''So we've got people in nursing homes, people in the [state Department of Mental Retardation] institutions, we've got the homeless, we've got the . . . mentally ill who now will have to come up with some verification to prove that they're citizens," said Victoria Pulos, health law attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. ''It's ironic that this is happening in the state where part of the health reform plan is to make sure that everyone who's eligible for Medicaid is enrolled." The new federal requirement, which all states have to comply with, would apply to the vast majority of the more than 1 million people on MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program. The intent is to prevent undocumented immigrants from posing as citizens and taking advantage of taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits that are afforded only to legal residents. (Under federal law, undocumented immigrants can receive only emergency Medicaid care; Massachusetts has 40,000 on such a program, which is called MassHealth Limited.) Less than three months before the new citizenship requirement takes effect, though, Massachusetts and other states are waiting for guidance from the federal government on how it will work. Mary Kahn, a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said that the agency is writing the regulations, but that there is no indication of a delay. Massachusetts already compels Medicaid recipients to verify their incomes, usually through W-2 forms, to ensure that the figure is low enough to qualify for the program. The state Medicaid director, Beth Waldman, played down the difficulty of adding another requirement. 'This shouldn't take away from people's access to healthcare," Waldman said. ''All you need to do is show that you're a citizen." Article Tools Waldman said that many of the state's 1,033,000 MassHealth recipients are not likely to have trouble proving citizenship, because they have already had to do so in registering with some other federal program, such as Social Security. (About 478,000 MassHealth members, for example, also get Medicare, Social Security, or welfare benefits, the state says.) Some healthcare advocates, though, described the new rules as onerous on community health centers and other healthcare providers, but more so on Medicaid recipients, many of whom, they said, may not continue getting care if they cannot provide the paperwork or may have to wait to get treatment until they can locate the right documents. ''We're in the business of trying to make central Dorchester and parts of Mattapan a healthier place," said Bill Walczak, chief executive officer of Dorchester's Codman Square Health Center. ''We didn't create the healthcare centers to become citizenship enforcement centers." The provision was added to the Deficit Reduction Act by two Republican representatives from Georgia, Charles Norwood and Nathan Deal, who have been outspoken against illegal immigration. Bush signed the legislation two months ago, saying, ''The bill I sign today restrains spending for entitlement programs while ensuring that Americans who rely on Medicare and Medicaid continue to get the care they need." Chris Riley, Deal's chief of staff, said yesterday that the citizenship provision was simply about ''enforcing the law." ''The intent was to verify that US citizens are getting Medicaid," Riley said. Norwood issued a statement in February saying, ''After years of listening to 'advocates' whine about compassion for those who intentionally break our laws for financial gain, I'm glad to see us finally showing some compassion for our own poor and sick who abide by the law." State Representative Marie J. Parente, a Milford Democrat who speaks often about restricting illegal immigration, said she agreed with Norwood's statement. Parente said she was at an event in Peabody yesterday at which someone asked her about healthcare for illegal immigrants. ''I said, 'Why don't you have the same compassion for the American people who don't have a good healthcare plan?' " said Parente, who hosted a meeting on immigration last week at the State House that she said drew more than 1,000 people. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C., issued a report this year saying that the rule would affect nearly 50 million people nationwide. It would, the report said, ''almost certainly create significant enrollment barriers for millions of low-income citizens who meet all Medicaid eligibility requirements." An evaluation of the Medicaid program by the inspector general of the US Department of Health and Human Services in July 2005 recommended the agency strengthen quality control to prevent abuse by noncitizens. It did not, however, recommend requiring recipients to provide proof of citizenship. Healthcare providers said it was too early to know how the federal requirement would affect Massachusetts, but they say they would always treat people who need care, no matter their ability to pay nor their documentation. They said it could, however, create complications for them in qualifying for federal reimbursement. ''We know that this will create some potential problems for folks in traditional Medicaid programs," said a Massachusetts Hospital Association spokesman, Paul Wingle. ''What this comes down to for hospitals is really not . . . whether folks get urgently needed care. It comes down to whether or not that care will be reimbursed." http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...thcare/?page=1 This is a step in the right direction. Force immigrants to PROVE they are here legally. Hey if they do not want to play by the rules, then too fucking bad.

04-13-2006, 01:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Switch84 Irresistible BITCH Veteran Join Date: Feb 2004 Member Number: 1234 Location: Atlanta, Ga. Age: 44 Posts: 2,277 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts Rep Power: 9 Last Online: 09-06-2007 04:42 AM	Why is it when the states decide to do something (on their level) to stem the tide of abuse of taxpayer-funded programs, somebody jumps out of the 'victim' bag? What the fuck, people! It was the same sob story the race pimps used here (Georgia) last year when the state legislators drafted the Voter ID law! The reasoning was the same for this bill that Medicaid is using...stemming the tide of FRAUD, specifically by illegals. Georgia's DMV even dispatched roving offices all over the state to help people get the voter ID card for FREE and people still bitched, crying 'racism', 'classism',and the other usual suspect pimp phrases. Enough already! If you're not a legal resident of this nation, YOU SHOULDN'T GET TO REAP THE BENEFITS OF IT. __________________ "He doesn't need to sell millions of records, he doesn't need to fill arenas, he doesn't need to be popular, he doesn't need your money, AND HE DOESN'T NEED YOU!" Blackflag on DLR CHICAGO BEARS ALLSTARS, BABY!! http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j1...switchBear.jpg

04-13-2006, 04:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
stringfelowhawk Medium Pimpin Foot Soldier Join Date: Mar 2004 Member Number: 2627 Location: FLA Age: 31 Posts: 521 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts Rep Power: 6 Last Online: Today 08:35 AM	Let me unroll my two "Lincoln's" for a sec. I keep seeing protesters holding up signs and while screaming, "I AM NOT A CRIMINAL"! Then I heard about this high school kid trying to prove it by giving her sob story of having a 4.13 GPA and other "achievements" asking if, "Am I a criminal"? I suppose the irony of this situation is lost on them. Maybe I don't understand the definition of "illegal" here so help me if I'm wrong but doesn't the issue of being an "illegal immigrant" make them criminals? I find that argument funny cause they're all contradicting their own position making it obsolete. __________________ "I'm here to kill you. Next time keep that chain letter goin". courtesy of my t-shirt from tshirthell.com

04-13-2006, 10:28 PM	#11 (permalink)
Nickdfresh Can't get this no mo' ROTH ARMY MODERATOR Join Date: Oct 2004 Member Number: 8719 Location: Buffalo, NY Age: 39 Posts: 31,393 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 289 Thanked 841 Times in 651 Posts Groans: 17 Groaned at 152 Times in 138 Posts Images: 1 Rep Power: 46 Last Online: Today 09:08 PM	I guess nobody is ever "breaking the law" when speeding then? You're all criminals, well, most of us anyways... __________________ "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." --Ben Franklin

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04-13-2006, 02:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
knuckleboner Diplomaniac ROTH ARMY MODERATOR Join Date: Jan 2004 Member Number: 120 Location: Fairfax, VA Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 0 Thanked 41 Times in 29 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 3 Times in 2 Posts Rep Power: 9 Last Online: Yesterday 09:28 PM	the other side of that argument is that some people will come here, whether or not they have access to health care. (and let's be honest, how many illegal aliens actually take health care into account when they come here? any?) and when they do, if they DON'T have access to health care, they're going to eventually wind up in our emergency rooms, instead. that costs money, too. and for routine problems that go unchecked by normal health care, emergency room visits are often more expensive than preventative medicine. i'm not saying that keeping the system the way it is is the right solution. but the issue is a bit more complex than simply saying, "if you're not here legally, we won't pay."

04-13-2006, 04:58 PM	#7 (permalink)
Hardrock69 Rock God DIAMOND STATUS Join Date: Feb 2005 Member Number: 11017 Location: A Small Dive in a trashy neighborhood somewhere on Fornax 9 Posts: 12,612 Thanks: 89 Thanked 389 Times in 238 Posts Groans: 46 Groaned at 53 Times in 50 Posts Rep Power: 22 Last Online: Today 05:53 PM	They do not understand that by being here illegally, that DOES mean they have BROKEN THE LAW! They are CRIMINALS! Ship them back to where they came from, and if they are SO fucking desperate to live here, let them fill out the proper paperwork and come back LEGALLY. Then they can be a part of this great nation of ours, and nobody will have a problem with that.

04-13-2006, 10:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
knuckleboner Diplomaniac ROTH ARMY MODERATOR Join Date: Jan 2004 Member Number: 120 Location: Fairfax, VA Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 0 Thanked 41 Times in 29 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 3 Times in 2 Posts Rep Power: 9 Last Online: Yesterday 09:28 PM	uh...ok. illegal is illegal. and if the feds want to begin strongly enforcing the borders and deporting, so be it. but until they do, there's still the problem of what to do with those that are here. and i'm telling you, if we force everybody illegal into emergency rooms, instead of preventative care, it will cause other problems...

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