Sunday, June 25, 2006
Now it's "costly"
Medicaid enrollees will be asked to prove citizenship
Starting this week, recipients and applicants for such government services as Oregon Health Plan coverage and long-term elder care will have to prove their citizenship.

The requirement was imposed by Congress last year and takes effect Saturday.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Wednesday that while he is sympathetic to Congress' intent, carrying out the new requirement could prove costly and bureaucratic to the state and burdensome to Oregonians who are U.S. citizens.

When democrats start harping about things being "costly" and "bureaucratic" you know something is wrong. This is simply their initial argument against keeping illegal aliens from using social services that should be reserved for Oregonians. Next they will call the new mandate "racist."

...Kulongoski has instructed eligibility workers to help people track down their necessary documents, such as birth certificates, and to continue their benefits eligibility as long as they are actively searching for their citizenship proof, DHS spokesman Jim Sellers said.


Memo from DHS Director Dr. Bruce Goldberg: (he is accountable to the governor)

Date: June 21, 2006
To: All DHS staff
From: Bruce Goldberg, Director
Re: Medicaid Eligibility and Proof of Citizenship

As many of you know, a provision in the 2006 federal Deficit Reduction Act requires Medicaid applicants and recipients to provide documentation of identification and citizenship. This provision, which takes effect July 1, will not initially change our work processes. All DHS staff should continue doi ng business as usual until the department has provided specific guidance for implementation.

Staff from throughout the department are researching options for implementing the new documentation requirements in a way that will not jeopardize people’s health and safety. Once the specific implementation rules and procedures are developed, they will be provided to you along with directions for working with clients. No operational changes should occur until planning and training have been completed.

If you hear concerns from clients before then, please reassure them that DHS will work with them to identify and locate the documents they need to prove citizenship. No one will be denied access to these programs or rejected from these programs if they meet existing eligibility requirements. Our overarching goal in this transition is to ensure no harm occurs to anyone as we implement these new federal requirements .

Although the new federal regulations require more documentation, there remains some flexibility for handling situations where clients cannot provide such items as birth certificates, photo I.D.s or other identification materials. Because good health and access to health care is important to everyone, my goal is to implement these new requirements in a manner that meets the law without harming needy individuals.

As you know, Medicaid is health insurance that helps many people who can't afford medical care pay for some or all of their medical bills. As with other Medicaid program requirements, states must implement an effective process for ensuring compliance with documentation of citizenship in order to obtain federal matching funds. Effective compliance will be part of Medicaid program integrity monitoring.

I appreciate that this change is causing concern among staff and clients, and I tha nk you in advance for your efforts as we move through this transition.


Now folks this is how it works in Oregon, these people will do anything to help those poor immigrants so they can continue to rape the system and take needed help from citizens. The way our politicians and big shots here think is that the only needy people are the illegal aliens, and the citizens of this state will just have to be understanding, as they pay their own high medical costs, or just not see a doctor at all!!