Editorial: New rule hurts newborns

Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

D espite the passionately expressed differences of opinion over federal immigration policy, we had always believed common ground could be found on the issue of newborns.

Even the most vocal of those who believe in bringing felony charges against undocumented immigrants and deporting them en masse, we believed, could agree that there should be no barrier to health care for an infant with an ear infection, rash or other condition needing medical attention.

But a new rule by the Bush administration is proving us wrong.

Undocumented immigrants have historically been barred from Medicaid. But their children born in the U.S. automatically became eligible for the health insurance program jointly funded by the federal and state governments. The new federal rule, however, requires undocumented parents to undergo a lengthy application process.

For thousands of undocumented parents, this policy creates a barrier as high and thick as the wall planned for the border between Mexico and the United States. Many of them, fearing their application will be forwarded to federal immigration agencies for deportation proceedings, will not put their names and addresses on any government application form. Additionally, the application process can take months to go through the system, leaving many parents financially unable to schedule regular checkups for their babies.

In emergencies, hospitals and doctors cannot by law refuse to see any patient. The fear with this new policy centers on preventive care, such as immunizations and treatments for infections and other conditions that all babies need. Doctors and health care providers around the country interviewed by The New York Times said preventive care will surely be neglected. This threatens not only the health of newborns, but also the long-term cost of health care if children incur permanent disabilities because they did not receive adequate pediatric care.

Congress should unite long enough to overturn this new rule. We know the politics of immigration policy is prone to heated escalation, but as Americans, as human beings, we should stop well short of risking the health of innocents.