Shameful bid to catch illegal immigrants

What is expensive, cumbersome and serves little purpose?

Any number of things may come to mind including, lately, oversized vehicles. But in Topeka and some other state capitals, the answer to that question is the federal rules that require Medicaid recipients to provide proof of citizenship.

The rules, which took effect two years ago, were an attempt by Washington to make sure illegal immigrants didn’t receive federal Medicaid funds.

But a recent audit involving HealthWave, the Kansas program that provides health insurance to low-income children, turned up the startling news that the rules had cost the state $1 million and found only one illegal immigrant.

Meanwhile, 20,000 Kansans lost Medicaid benefits at least temporarily because they couldn’t provide birth certificates or other necessary documents. About half of those people have since enrolled again.

more . . . http://voices.kansascity.com/node/1489