Medicaid Proof of Citizenship Requirement

Date: 10 Aug 2006

Author: National Alliance to End Homelessness

Files:

In the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Congress included a provision, effective July 1, 2005, requiring that Medicaid beneficiaries provide proof of US citizenship in order to be enrolled in the program. Although states were supposed to begin implementing this requirement in July, the Department of Health and Human Services is still developing the final guidelines to help states understand the parameters of this requirement. In August, the Alliance provided comments to the Department of Health and Human Services explaining the difficulty those experiencing homelessness could have meeting this requirement, the role Medicaid plays in ending homelessness, and suggestions for ensuring that homeless families and individuals do not lose Medicaid coverage while proving citizenship.