Prenatal care debate revolves around money
Lawmaker: Funds risked when state provides treatment to pregnant illegal immigrants

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By Michael McNutt
Published: April 2, 2008

The head of Oklahoma's Medicaid program said Tuesday the state faces no risk of losing federal money by allowing illegal immigrants to receive prenatal care, despite a state lawmaker's statements to the contrary.

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Mike Fogarty, chief executive officer of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, said his agency "has specific federal approval and encouragement to reimburse health care providers for prenatal care services to unborn children regardless of their mother's documentation status.”

Rep. Randy Terrill said providing that care could endanger millions of dollars for health care programs in the state.

Terrill, R-Moore, said legislators never approved a rule allowing the Health Care Authority to include pregnant illegal immigrants in the state Medicaid program. It was created through the agency's internal rule-making process, he said.

"As a result, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority may soon be committing Medicaid fraud by billing the federal government for services provided to illegal aliens that the Legislature never authorized,” Terrill said.

Fogarty said Terrill is mistaken.

"There is absolutely no commission of Medicaid fraud and federal funds related to the prenatal care program are not in danger,” Fogarty said.

Bill could overturn rules
House Bill 1804, the state's immigration law which Terrill authored, makes it clear the Health Care Authority cannot provide medical services to an illegal immigrant and must verify immigration status of anyone over the age of 14, Fogarty said. The agency is complying with that law, which took effect in November, he said.

The law does not specifically address the coverage of prenatal services for an unborn child, Fogarty said. The federal State Children's Health Insurance Program defines a child as an individual from conception to age 19. The regulation also defines child health assistance to include prenatal care, he said.

"The Bush administration recognized the positive public policy associated with providing prenatal care for these babies and began encouraging states to adopt this option in 2002,” Fogarty said.

Terrill and Rep. John Wright, R- Broken Arrow, have filed a measure, House Concurrent Resolution 1064, that would overturn the Health Care Authority's rules.

Terrill said providing prenatal care to illegal immigrant mothers creates a dangerous legal precedent because it blurs the line between the concepts of "personhood” and "citizenship.”


 

Related Topics: Culture and Lifestyle, Health and Fitness, Medicine, Welfare Policy, Public Finance, Domestic Policy, Social Policy, Federal Budget, Political Policy, Politics, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Family, Government Spending, Immigration, Health Care Costs, Health Care Issues

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David from Norman: This is about PRE-natal care, not labor & delivery. No one will be refused care for labor & delivery. If she’s illegal, what makes you think she wants to go back to her home country to deliver her baby? BTW - The county of Mexico DOESN’T tolerate their immigration laws being broken. They WILL “sic the dogs on” us if we entered and worked illegally, let alone expecting free medical care on their side of the border.
Allison, Noble - Apr 2, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Overthrowing a country does not necessarily take a war.
citizen, Edmond - Apr 2, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Randy Terrill for governor.Illegal alien parasites... get out of our state.State services are not for alien invaders.This illegal scum costs the state millions of dollars.
charles, tulsa - Apr 2, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Good grief. When will our KKK representative, Terrill, ever shut up? Here, clearly, he is showing his ignorance on the issue of providing health care. How mmany more times will his pea brain overload his alligator mouth? How can any rational, sane person condone what this hate-mongerer is doing in this state? I don't necessarily agree with providing funds to illegals, but I damn sure don't want to see children suffering over it. What has happened to our Reagan conservatism? Has idiocy and stupidity been substituted? This Terrill freak is sure proving it every time he opens his mouth to speak. Again, I say who cares about immigration? I would like to see us more concerned with getting rid of our dependency on foreign oil. That is the REAL issue these days!!!!
Alan, Wagoner - Apr 2, 2008 at 2:18 pm
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This article proves without a doubt that we are paying for healthcare for illegal immigrants. Which is something the bleeding hearts have denied is happening. I believe it has been stated over & over again that they can't get welfare & won't apply for it, so I guess somebody lied. David from Norman, this is not a Moral's issue it is a legality issue. If you want to pay for prenatal care for someone you didn't have intercourse with go ahead, but leave me out of it. I have enough to pay for without the help of illegal aliens.
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Apr 2, 2008 at 1:52 pm
For illegal aliens to come to this country and breed at the rate of rodents, and I might add intentionally, is causing the taxpayers to bleed money at an egregious rate. Enough is enough. I am about as much as a christian as anyone but we have to protect our country, society and culture from the leeches of the world.
william, pampa - Apr 2, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Those of you who believe that a "fetus" is a citizen are completly off base. One is not a citizen until birth. Get on the correct soapbox.
william, pampa - Apr 2, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Very compassionate comment Dan but that's what conservatives are known for isn't it, their compassion and mercy. To Luara and Jimmy, what if the mother goes into labor prematurely and can't get back to Mexico as quick as you'd like to receive care there...should we deny them? What about the child who will die without proper care in that particular situation. Do we just pass it off and say well they're lawbreakers...guess the child can die too. No big loss, just another Mexican anyway. And Elizabeth whether these women care for this country I don't know but what I can see is they care for their children. If it was me I'd do the same for my child. To make sure they got the proper care and even more to guarantee them citizenship here...geez who wouldn't do that other than a mother who loves her children. But I forgot these are illegal aliens with no souls. They are nothing better than animals, right guys. All these lousy wetbacks want to do is milk the system, break the law and take advantage of our good nature and hospitality. Have I stated your position correctly? You folks should get down on your knees and thank God every day you had the good fortune to be born north of the border or else these same folks would sic the dogs on you.
David, Norman - Apr 2, 2008 at 12:45 pm
You can call it paying for prenatal care for illegal immigrants or by another name, paying for the sex lives of illegal immigrants
dan, oklahoma city - Apr 2, 2008 at 11:59 am
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Randy is not a racist, its what illeglas like to say when they have no right to be here in the first place
James, Myrtle Beach - Apr 2, 2008 at 11:52 am
the point is, we are a country that is broke and we can't afford to keep taking care of the world
James, Myrtle Beach - Apr 2, 2008 at 11:50 am
First let me say that this has nothing to do with racism. I am pro choice, not pro life. Your God gave every one their own free will, but you are so quick to take it away from others. It is non of my concern that an illegal alien (It does not matter where they came from) is having a child in my country. Don't you know that so many of these "poor, unfortunate" women do this on purpose? They know that they are pregnant and can't provide a good life for their child. They come over here because they know that if their child is born here they will be a citizen of the United States. They do not care about our country and will continue to do exactly as they have been if this is not taken care of. It's as simple as that. I have no sympathy for anyone who so boldly decides to defy our laws so that their new offspring can fall in between the cracks. Our health care system is being twisted around for their needs, and they know how to manipulate it. They also know that because most of our government is entirely to soft, they will more than likely be overlooked because their child is now an American Citizen. I would have no problem at all if they came to our country legally and had childeren or used our system, but the vast majority do not.
Elizabeth, Norman - Apr 2, 2008 at 11:03 am
If you are here illegally and pregnant that is your problem, not the tax payers of Oklahoma. Go back to your country of origin and have your baby there.
Laura, Edmond - Apr 2, 2008 at 10:49 am
Like the rest of you I love children & want no harm to come to any of them ever. But I think if you pay for the prenatal care you are only condoning the illegal person to continue to stay in this country & have babies here. It has to stop somewhere they have doctors in other countries too!!!
Jimmy, Sandy Shores - Apr 2, 2008 at 10:40 am
I'm sorry this man (Terrill) is misguided. How do you tell people they shouldn't be allowed to have prenatal care and call yourself a Christian? Hate to judge but that is how I feel.
David, Norman - Apr 2, 2008 at 10:25 am
So the life of an unborn fetus is not valued? Come on Terrill you are big proponent of the life of the unborn, stop flip-flopping. These fetus under Oklahoma law that Terrill voted for are citizens of Oklahoma. So you are only pro-life when you care to be?
Grant, Tulsa - Apr 2, 2008 at 8:58 am
Randy the racist strikes again. His denials and those of his supporters do not wash. Even the babies are his targets.
Mark, Oklahoma City - Apr 2, 2008 at 7:58 am
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