MEDICAID: NY Judge Reinstates Coverage for Immigrants
A New York Supreme Court Justice overturned a state law Monday that revoked Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants who have not officially established U.S. residency, the AP/Bergen Record reports. Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam said the law, part of the state's Welfare Reform Act of 1997, "violates guarantees of equal protection for all and violates a state law mandate to care for the needy." The Welfare Reform Act of 1997 followed a 1996 federal law which denied Medicaid for many legal immigrants who entered the country after Aug. 22, 1996. The suit was filed on behalf of eight immigrants who were denied Medicaid after the law was passed. The state attorney general's office has not "decided whether to appeal" (Maull, 5/19).
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