SCHIP Reauthorization Presents a Significant Opportunity to Mitigate the Impact of the Citizenship Documentation Requirements of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) on U.S. Citizens
Congress should make the Citizenship Documentation Requirements of the DRA optional for states and no more restrictive than documentation requirements of the Social Security Administration.
The DRA imposed new citizenship and identity documentation requirements for U.S. citizens applying for or renewing Medicaid coverage. States, however, already had processes in place to verify the citizenship and identity of Medicaid applicants and recipients. The DRA’s rigid new documentation requirements have increased administrative and fiscal burdens to state Medicaid programs, and added significant barriers to the application and recertification process for U.S. citizens.
Released Aug. 2, 2007

