Medicaid's New Documentation Requirements:
How Are They Affecting Patients and Health Centers?
According to a new analysis issued by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), as many as 320,000 health center patients, two-thirds of whom are children, are expected to lose Medicaid coverage as a result of Medicaid documentation requirements enacted as part of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005.
The DRA requires most individuals to document their U.S. citizenship or status as legal residents, as well as their personal identity, in order to receive Medicaid. Nearly all of the 28 million children who qualify for Medicaid are affected, as are most Medicaid-eligible adults (typically parents or caretakers of young children).
SPHHS' new paper, "Medicaid's New Documentation Requirements: How Are They Affecting Patients and Health Centers?" issued as part of the School's Rapid Public Health Policy Response Project, describes the documentation mandates, and their impact. That paper draws heavily on a recent study through the School's Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy and supported by the RCHN Community Health Foundation. Key conclusions:
- As many as 319,500 heath center patients already enrolled in Medicaid are being dropped from its rolls. More than two-thirds of them are children.
- Community health centers, the nation's largest single source of primary health care for low-income and medically underserved individuals, face increased financial burdens. These effects are the result of declining numbers of Medicaid-enrolled patients and an increase in the number of uninsured seeking healthcare.
- The law's intent was to bar illegal immigrants from Medicaid coverage. However, prior to the bill's passage, the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services reported no substantial evidence that undocumented immigrants were committing fraud to receive coverage. The National Association of State Medicaid Directors has called the new law "burdensome."
- A number of local, state and national organizations have recommended changes in the law, given its impact on citizens. These include altering the document requirements, making compliance easier and extending coverage pending receipt of the required documents.
For more information, contact:
Peter Shin, PhD, MPH, Assistant Research Professor
Department of Health Policy
School of Public Health and Health Services
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: (202) 530-2313
Email:
pshin@gwu.edu
