Posted on 01/21/2010 1:12:29 PM PST by stan_sipple
Around 1,000 pregnant women who are illegal immigrants will no longer receive prenatal services through the federal-state Medicaid program, beginning in early spring, according to Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services leaders.
The prenatal care issue creates a conflict between two state goals:
On the immigration front, senators have wanted to make certain that illegal immigrants do not get any public benefits, passing strong anti-immigration legislation (LB403) last year. Because of the strong pro-life sentiment, Nebraska also has provided Medicaid coverage for all pregnant women, regardless of their immigration status. The assumption is that the prenatal coverage also is for the benefit of the unborn child, who will be a U.S. citizen once born. However, federal officials have told state leaders that federal law prohibits Medicaid coverage for people who are not documented except for emergency care. That means no prenatal care for pregnant moms.
Unlike Nebraska, which provides coverage for the unborn, the federal government has no similar concept.
"Unborn child is not an accepted Medicaid eligibility group," said Vivianne Chaumont, director of the Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care, in a letter to state senators.
"The only Medicaid coverage that is available for an undocumented alien pregnant woman is the cost of delivery and the cost of treating complications of pregnancy considered to be emergencies," she wrote.
The federal government pays for about 60 percent of the costs of the Medicaid coverage and state taxes pay the rest.
If senators want to provide prenatal care for pregnant mothers who are illegal residents, the Legislature will have to create a separate non-Medicaid program in state statute, according to the letter from Chaumont.
The state is reviewing the 6,000 pregnant women receiving Medicaid-funded prenatal care, according to Kerry Winterer, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. All women who are not legally in the country will lose their benefits, likely on March 1, he said.
The state estimates that somewhere around 1,000 women now receiving prenatal care are undocumented and will lose Medicaid prenatal coverage. That coverage costs around $850 to $950 per woman, according to Chaumont.
Winterer said the letter was intended to bring the issue to the attention of senators, letting them know there must be a legislative solution if they want to continue the program.
Several senators said they had only recently received the letter and had not had time to consider a solution. "It is still just too new and everyone has had too much going on to sit down and talk about this issue," said Sen. Tim Gay, chairman of the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee.
"It caught everyone off guard," he said.
Well I’ll be, a sensible law going into effect. The US is going to save a boatload off of this.
This should be in every state. Let that lying POS Ben Nelson pay for em with his Senate pension.
Boo hoo.
B.O. will just use this as one more excuse for “immigration reform” aka amnesty.
Given that their children will be U.S. citizens upon birth, I don’t think this makes sense. I think birth-right citizenship should be abolished and instead citizenship only be granted when at least one parent is a citizen or legal permanent resident. But that change has not occurred.
But maybe it will make them go home to Mexico, which isn’t a detriment. After all, Mexico has socialized medicine for its citizens, doesn’t it?
Has this ever been challenged in the Supreme Court? Anybody reading the Constitution would clearly see that somebody illegally here would be out of the jurisdiction of giving birth to a U.S. citizen.
Wow, that’s big. For my Community Health class, I was taught that any female in her third trimester that has NOT had any pre-natal care, would receive Medicaid coverage, no questions asked... in any state of the union. I guess my instructor was wrong.
numbersusa.com
Help fight illegal aliens and all that goes with it!
I agree!!!
You really think in this political environment that Amnesty will even be proposed?
Someone shoul dtake it to the Supreme Court. It is bankrupting Florida with illegals and illegal Haitians.
They should also deport every pregnant illegal immediately to prevent birth in the USA until the Supreme Court rules on the elegibility of anchor babies - if they haven’t done so already.
I wish we could change the law on that also.
To NOT give these women pre-natal care is one of the most stupidest things I ever heard! the cheapest way to avoid having babies born with ALL sorts of physical and mental problems is to provide excellant pre natal care. these babies will be living in the US....and we WILL end up paying WAY more !
Either deport the pregnant women, put them on a plane to Mexico City or their hometown....OR take care of them till they give birth.
health insurance in mexico: dont get sick; ive read that tourists who have to go to mexican hospitals are basically held hostage until relatives can put down large deposits from credit cards
ive read that in singapore any guest worker who gets pregnant is immediately deported
if the taxpayers found out how much of their tax $$$ are p***ed away on illegals medical care there would be H*** to pay
This is only in Nebraska....how many illegals go to Nebraska???
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