Government
Washington state sues over newborn document requirements for Medicaid
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 26, 2007
The state of Washington announced its intent March 5 to sue the federal government over requirements that newborns' citizenship must be documented in order to qualify for Medicaid. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said the lawsuit is about basic equality for the estimated 8,000 babies in the state who are being affected by the rule. The state doesn't plan to carry out the regulation while the lawsuit is pending.
"Every baby born on U.S. soil is a U.S. citizen. It is simply not right to deny them health care coverage," she said. Washington is the first state to contest the rule in court. The regulation went into effect in July 2006 with other Medicaid citizenship requirements in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/03/26/gvbf0326.htm.
