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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis Week in Poverty: 89,000 Children in Pennsylvania Lose Medicaid
http://www.thenation.com/blog/168665/week-poverty-89000-children-pennsylvania-lose-medicaidSince August 2011, 89,000 children in Pennsylvania have lost their Medicaid coverage, including many with life-threatening illnesses who were mistakenly deemed ineligible. The state currently hasnt a clue whether many of these children have any healthcare coverage at all.
How did this happen?
In late summer, the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare (DPW) began notifying hundreds of thousands of families by mail that they had ten days to provide necessary documentation in order to keep their children enrolled in Medicaid. If the family missed the deadlineor even if they met it but DPW failed to process the paperwork within the ten daysthey were dropped from Medicaid.
Federal law indeed requires that families prove their Medicaid eligibility annually. Pennsylvania requires verification every six months. During the previous administration, under Democratic Governor Ed Rendell, caseloads grew as a result of the recession, while county assistance offices were shorthanded due to budget cuts. Caseworkers simply couldnt keep pace with the workload and there was a backlog of renewal applications.
Enter Republican Governor Tom Corbett and his anti-spending, anti-government secretary of public welfare, Gary Alexander. They decided to plow ahead with their new approach to eligibility verification: ten days to receive and process the overdue renewals, and an assumption of ineligibility if the applications werent reviewed during that time period.
babydollhead
(2,231 posts)we received the paper with requests for signatures and income proof. The paper was ambiguious and was for an appointment, though no time or place was given.
I called the caseworkers number hundreds of times and the messege would say,
"The mail box is full" so I called the main number and it would ring and rind for five minutes then a recording, "The mailbox is full. We are sorry you are having a proble" and disconnect. You are not allowed to just show up at the welfare office without an appt.
Madness making. I don't have health insurance, and now, neither does my kid. now I understand! Thank you for posting this. I understand Munch's "The Scream" all too well.
rug
(82,333 posts)There are a couple of organizations mobilizing.
http://pacaresforall.org/
http://www.clsphila.org/
This is more deadly Corbettt bullshit.
babydollhead
(2,231 posts)thank you for the links
rucky
(35,211 posts)They probably got the idea from ALEC.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)Only they're caging poor kids. Pigs.
Walker stripped Badger Care. It's still there, just closed a lot of doors.
I hate republicans.
enough
(13,264 posts)and what the SCOTUS decision means about Medicaid.
BumRushDaShow
(129,662 posts)Time to ratchet up that Sandusky link.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)malthaussen
(17,217 posts)... has he? I'd bet he and his cronies are trying to figure out a way they can accept the new medicaid money and funnel it into the pockets of their fracker friends.
-- Mal
SoutherDem
(2,307 posts)Everyone has to provide "documentation", which you have ten day to submit, and by the way you not only have to get the information to us in 10 day but we have to process it within 10 day.
I am guessing it was 10 day from date on letter. So they print it on day #1, mail it on day #2, you get it on day #4 when you get in from work, you gather the information on day #5, you mail it on day #6 they get it on day #9 and maybe if you are lucky process it on day #10. All it would take is the mail being slow, you not being off to gather the information or the information takes a day or two to gather and you are screwed not to mention they simply process the information slowly.
What a crock.
lpbk2713
(42,769 posts)And they will sleep well tonight.