When to apply for emergency Medicaid
for illegal immigrants1. If you are a pregnant women
who is an undocumented or illegal immigrant. Medicaid will provide you with short-term medical coverage.
2. If you were born in the US and belongs to an undocumented immigrant household. As long as your family satisfies the income requirements, you can qualify for emergency Medicaid coverage if you are 19 years and younger.
3.
If you have to visit the emergency room for urgent medical treatment. Hospitals have social workers who can help you to apply for short term emergency Medicaid coverage.http://www.emergencymedicaid.net/emergency-medicaid-for-illegal-immigrantsA 2007 medical article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that
99 percent of those who used Emergency Medicaid during a four-year period in North Carolina were thought to be illegal immigrants.But while federal law generally bars illegal immigrants from being covered by Medicaid,
a little-known part of the state-federal health insurance program for the poor pays about $2 billion a year for emergency treatment for a group of patients who, according to hospitals, mostly comprise illegal immigrants. Most of it goes to reimburse hospitals for delivering babies for women who show up in their emergency rooms, according to interviews with hospital officials and studies.
California hospitals get about half the $2 billion spent annually on Emergency Medicaid. The rest is spread mainly among a handful of states.
In 2011, for example:
New York spent $528 million on Emergency Medicaid for nearly 30,000 people.
Texas reported 240,000 claims costing $331 million. (One person could be responsible for multiple claims.)
Florida spent $214 million on 31,000 patients.
North Carolina spent $48 million on about 19,000 people.
Arizona spent $115 million. It couldn’t break out the number of people.
Illinois spent $25 million on the cost of care to nearly 2,000 people.
The federal government doesn’t require states to report how many people receive services through Emergency Medicaid payments to hospitals.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/how-undocumented-immigrants-sometimes-receive-medicaid-treatment/
