Illegal immigrant entitled to Medicaid
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday that an illegal immigrant, suffering from severe pain and diagnosed with acute leukemia, was entitled to Medicaid because he suffered from an emergency medical condition. The court overturned a lower court decision upholding the denial of Medicaid benefits to the illegal immigrant by finding that “the hearing officer’s determination that the Plaintiff did not suffer from an emergency medical condition is the result of an improperly narrow application of the law.” The Connecticut Department of Social Services determined that the immigrant did not suffer from an emergency medical condition that would make him eligible for benefits because he would not have died immediately without treatment. The Supreme Court disagreed, saying an emergency medical condition must require immediate medical treatment without which the patient would be in jeopardy of serious physical harm. The attorney for the illegal immigrant said the decision will set precedent as federal law requires hospitals to treat illegal immigrants, but states will not always provide reimbursement. A spokesman for the Department of Social Services said the ruling “may only affect Medicaid cases that fall under similar fact patterns.” AP has more.
