Since August, 88,000 Pennsylvania children have lost Medicaid benefits

[kpete]

Since August, 88,000 Pennsylvania children have lost Medicaid benefits

By Don Sapatkin
Inquirer Staff Writer

................

More children lost Medicaid coverage in Pennsylvania in December than in the previous three months combined, according to new Department of Public Welfare numbers that show a total of 88,000 cut since August.

Advocates for the poor and disabled say orders to quickly process a backlog of eligibility reviews, which has mushroomed to more than 700,000 cases, have pushed an already overwhelmed workforce over the edge. Many cuts that legal-services and social workers challenged turned out to involve paperwork that they say DPW lost - sometimes repeatedly, even when clients had receipts - or that had never been sent in the first place.

The official numbers don't count an additional 23,000 children whose benefits were cut and eventually restored retroactively, often with legal help. But poorer people may be less likely to call a lawyer, and child advocates believe thousands have no idea they are now uninsured.

"Our fear is that there are many out there," said Renee Turchi, a pediatrician in St. Christopher's Hospital for Children's special needs clinic, where about 50 children have lost coverage at some point.



Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20120117_Since_August__88_000_Pennsylvania_children_have_lost_Medicaid_benefits.html?cmpid=124488469#ixzz1jj5MGOYy
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

[xchrom]

1. du rec. nt

[CountAllVotes]

2. stock market rallies while children die

Good f'n job there USA!

!!

[madrchsod]

3. our nation has become another sodom and gomorrah....

the real reason "god" destroyed sodom and gomorrah

http://www.all-creatures.org/hr/what-02.htm

[crim son]

9. Great link, tyvm. n/t

[jpak]

4. The GOP wants you to die quickly and silently

yup

[obamanut2012]

5. This is ridiculous

There was something on CNN where they talked to two young men from the inner city who have received full scholarships at Morehead. They asked them what they liked best about being at college, and one of them said, "Being filled." "Fulfilled?" "No, filled." He meant having enough to eat, and mentioned not going to bed hungry and not waking up hungry, knowing there was nothing to eat in the house. For the first time IN HIS LIFE, he wasn't malnourished.

Shameful. And people snark about the point of OWS.

[JPZenger]

6. Link to many more stories about PA.'s War Against the Poor

Here's a link to many more articles about the current Pa. War against the Poor. This is what happens when your Governor, both houses of the legislature and the state supreme court all come under the control of teabaggers.

this is the Pennsylvania forum of DU:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1074

[Vinca]

7. That's just obscene. Damn we need real healthcare reform.

Everyone covered, no questions asked.

[marias23]

8. Call Newt - he'll get them janitorial jobs

[sarcasmo]

10. My Canadian friend and his wife have four kids.

They never have to worry about there kids health care. America is one messed up country.