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Federal Deficit Reduction Act
(cont.)
The new federal law requires that all citizens applying for Medicaid, or renewing their coverage, must produce a passport or birth certificate and driver's license to prove that they are U.S. citizens. is concerned that many United States citizens will have great difficulty providing documentation of citizenship as required by this rule. Many low-income consumers do not have passports, and could have difficulty acquiring a copy of their birth certificate. If unable to come up with the necessary documentation, they may be denied services. While this new rule will impact all Colorado citizens enrolled in Medicaid, certain populations will have an especially difficult time meeting the new requirements:
1. Newborns and other children under the age of 16,
2. Seniors and disabled persons residing in nursing homes
3. Other elderly persons including those born in rural areas who may never have been issued a birth certificate
4. Persons who are incapacitated because of a mental or physical disability
5. Homeless families
This requirement will also take a toll on state and local agencies. It will be their responsibility to notify beneficiaries of the new requirement, screen beneficiaries for documentation, and keep records of the documents. In Colorado, it is estimated that over 400,000 people will have to be screened during the next year!
DenUM's ID Project annually serves hundreds of people seeking birth certificates and Colorado State IDs to meet their basic needs for food, shelter and employment. Each request costs between $5 and $35 per person, and the need exceeds the availability of financial assistance at DenUM and in the community as a whole. Creating a new population with emergency needs will only exacerbate an already critical problem.