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.
Either way it’s a start.
DEPORT ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. I don’t care of they are pregnant or not. Ike did it, Hoover did it. Roosevelt did it too. When in times of desperation, DEPORT illegal immigrants who have NO RIGHT to any benefits to begin with, and even less when the US is BROKE before even looking at paying their way in life.
DEPORT ILLEGALS.
This isn’t as much of a ‘silver lining’ as one might hope. Consider this. Suppose the federal/state government complex conceded that an ‘unborn child’ could legally be considered deserving of medicaid, i.e., recognized class status as a citizen. Just suppose...now, where would that put abortion? Hmmmmmm....methinks this is the rock and hard place and the libs, true to form, will put their right to kill an unborn human life over the life of an ‘immigrant’ and her unborn ‘tissue’....They are just being very very cautios, because if they did this, the RTLs would have a valid case to sue against Federally subsidized murder of a ‘recognized’ citizen.....crafty bastards these libs....
Time for them to return home for medical care.
Yeah, we passed some common sense laws here in OK and the wetbacks bailed. Then our doughnut munching fat butt Tulsa PD refused to enforce the law. The mex's are back.
No more anchor babies
“You really think in this political environment that Amnesty will even be proposed?”
HECK YEAH!! I seriously believe the democrats are such lying thugs that they will push the deathcare bill through as amendments to other bills, and then they will go after amnesty! They are going to do whatever they can to destroy this country as fast as they can. We still have to stay vigilant!
This is a start
Double-edged sword. Babies with problems caused by poor pre-natal lifestyle will end up on the dole for every conceivable ailment and defect.
“Go home” to have your baby should be the rule.
Perhaps all the prego illegals will have to leave Nebraska then.... so sad. /s
They will still be entitled to hospital care during labor because of EMTALA. All this means is that the hospitals won’t be compensated at all for their care and will pass on their costs to other patients or head toward bankruptcy.
I haven’t seen any studies showing whether the prenatal care they receive is cost-effective in preventing complications, prematurity or birth defects but it might just be.
Mind you, I think birthright citizenship is a bad idea, that pregnant illegal immigrants should be deported like any other illegal immigrant, that countries that encourage their citizens to come here illegally should be billed for their care, that visas should not be issued to pregnant women likely to give birth here, and that the hospitals should dun the poor as they do the middle class.
Yep what we need is more American babies to start funding SS and providing health care workers twenty years from now. Oh wait, babies are an American career burden. They are so yesterday. Didn’t someone say immigrants are doing something Americans won’t do.
If not why not?
That is a serious question made with a straight face.
I am confident that the touchie-feelie types will flee that question like Dracula and garlic...
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.
I disagree. For someone with your namesake's name, there is a paucity of common sense in your statement.
I refuse to accept your assumptions.
I feel that if the mother is illegal, so is the child; bastard or otherwise.
There is one thing more stupid.
The assumption that it is not possible to deport every pregnant female illegal alien before she delivers.
Unless you are suggesting that we must care for every pregnant woman in Mexico.
Are you?
We need to let everyone know how much of our money is being wasted for illegal anchor babies and their mothers.
dont rely on the amnestistas at the UNO Latino Center to give accurate information on the extent of the invasion they support
Deport them immediately. Problem solved.
I would suggest that all illegals be deported.
However, the reality is they aren’t leaving—being deported this week. Until that reality is here, I suggest that we give free( yes, free) prenatal care to ANY woman, only because it is soooooo cost effective in the long run. I am not saying everyone should have the fanciest care, a luxury hospital room like a hotel...but basic prenatal care at clinics.
We can do BOTH prenatal care for illegals AND work on our illegal problem at the same time.
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