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OPIINIIONS OF OTHER NEWSPAPERS Hospitals and doctors across the country report that newborns have been denied coverage since a federal policy that prohibits automatic Medicaid eligibility to babies took effect this year. And it's only a matter of time before this new law results in unintended tragedy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is sufficiently alarmed by the possibility that newborns will wind up without preventive care, immunizations and treatments essential to their first year of life that it has asked the federal government to clarify the intended purpose of the policy. Before President Bush signed the change into law in February, babies in most states were automatically eligible for Medicaid. States had to cover children's medical expenses for one year. The new policy requires that parents also fill out an application and prove the child is a U.S. citizen. The problem? Processing birth certificates can sometimes take weeks or months. Texas has long required proof of identity for Medicaid applicants. But the additional proof of citizenship requirement is making it more difficult to get help at chronically understaffed and overwhelmed eligibility offices in such cities as Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. Two hundred babies under the age of 12 months were denied Medicaid coverage between August and October because they lacked citizenship documents, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The new guidelines are designed to curb fraudulent abuse of Medicaid benefits, a worthy goal. But innocent children should not be left vulnerable because of possible paperwork tie-ups. Even worse, misinformation might keep parents from taking their child to the hospital until the baby is gravely ill. Also, consider that denying health care now will only be more costly when the child ends up in the emergency room which by law must provide help to all in need. One thing we can all agree on is that denying medical services to a young child who has no culpability in where he or she is born is cruel and unusual punishment. Let's get this straightened out before we read about that first needless infant death. |
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