Children’s Action Alliance Calls On Az.’s Congressional Delegation

Beginning July 1st, all Arizonans participating in AHCCCS (Arizona’s version of Medicaid) or KidsCare health insurance will be required to provide new documentation to prove their citizenship in order to receive health coverage. The new requirements will apply to Arizonans applying for health coverage, as well as the one million Arizonans currently enrolled in AHCCCS or KidsCare – Arizona’s low income health coverage programs.

While the goal of ensuring that these programs only serve citizens is logical, the unintended consequence of the new requirements is that thousands of Arizona citizens may lose coverage simply because they lack the required paperwork. Children’s Action Alliance calls on Arizona’s congressional delegation to push for technical corrections to the law, allowing for more practical steps in its implementation.

The health coverage for Arizona’s most vulnerable citizens is at stake – children, older adults, the elderly residing in nursing homes, Native Americans, people with serious mental illnesses or physical disabilities, & children living in foster care.

Examples of Arizona citizens who might be affected by the new requirements include:

· An elderly U.S. citizen who suffers from Alzheimer’s and resides in a nursing home might lose AHCCCS coverage that pays for her care because her birth certificate cannot be located or she lacks a driver’s license. Given her mental state, she likely would not be able to tell the nursing home staff where to apply to get her birth certificate & certainly wouldn't be able to pass a driving test.
· A child who is a U.S. citizen & is placed in foster care because her mother has died may not receive Medicaid coverage for the health services she needs because a certified birth certificate cannot be located in her records.
· An older Native American who was never issued a birth certificate (many older Native Americans were born in the home & never issued birth certificates) & who has no living family members to attest to her birth may lose Medicaid coverage.

“We ask our congressional delegation to push for technical corrections in the law passed by Congress requiring new documentation by people receiving or applying for AHCCCS (Arizona’s Medicaid program),” said Carol Kamin, President & CEO of Children’s Action Alliance. “While maintaining the integrity of any government program is important, it is critical that documentation requirements are not so burdensome that Arizona’s most vulnerable citizens inadvertently lose their health coverage. Straightforward, common sense changes to the current law could make it considerably easier for citizens to prove that they qualify for these programs. We call for Arizona’s congressional delegation to push for changes to the law immediately, before the requirements go into effect on July 1st.”