Saturday, April 15, 2006
Finally Some Anti-Fraud Measures for Medicaid
Much as I hate the New York Times, this story is worth the effort if for nothing else than the ridiculous headline title they placed above it.
Medicaid Rules for Immigrants May Hurt Others
Oh, boo hoo. I feel the tears welling up already...
WASHINGTON, April 15 — More than 50 million Medicaid recipients will soon have to produce birth certificates (By July 1st), passports or other documents to prove that they are United States 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 Bush on Feb. 8.
At least SOMEONE is finally trying to put the breaks to Medicaid fraud. The FBI conservatively estimates that 10 cents of each dollar spent on Medicaid each year is lost to fraud and abuse. In fiscal year 1994, the U.S. spent $107 billion on Medicaid, so that means more than $10 billion was lost to fraud and deceit.
The budget office expects that 35,000 people will lose coverage by 2015. Most of them will be illegal immigrants, it said, but some will be citizens unable to produce the necessary documents. Some Medicaid experts put the numbers much higher, saying that millions of citizens could find their health benefits in jeopardy.
Umm, it's 2006, folks. How many citizens are born these days with no documentation? This isn't 1850 or even the early 1900s anymore. And the few numbers of people who do have such a problem surely have means by which to correct the situation.
Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, said: "Many older Americans do not have birth certificates because their parents did not have access to hospitals, and so they were born at home. In the last century, all over the South, because of segregation and racial discrimination, many hospitals would not take minorities."
And, since 1910 NONE of these people have a driver's license or other proof of citizenship like tax returns and social security numbers?
Please, don't insult our intelligence when all you are trying to do is block a measure that would tend to defund the medical benefits of illegal aliens!
Now here is the most ridiculous quotes of the Times' piece...
Jennifer M. Ng'andu of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic group, said, "A likely consequence of the new requirement is that a number of people will be cut off Medicaid even though they are eligible."
They quote a representative of La Raza?? The group that wants to destroy the US and re-conquer the US for Mexico?? No, the "likely consequence" of this new requirement isn't 'that a number of people will be cut off Medicaid even though they are eligible", it's that a whole slew of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS will be cut off from that aid and RIGHTFULLY so.
Lastly, here was another stupid quote...
Carla J. Vigue, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Medicaid agency, said the requirement would make it more difficult for citizens to get Medicaid.
It is perfectly well and good that Medicaid should not be easy to get, Mrs. Vigue. It isn't a RIGHT that people receive Medicaid, it is a BENEFIT that is provided by the state and that benefit should have as many anit-fraud measures as possible to safeguard the public treasury.
Source: New York Times
-By Warner Todd Huston
# posted by Publius @ 4/15/2006 12:18:00 PM 
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