As many as 319,500 eligible Medicaid beneficiaries who receive care at America’s Health Centers could lose coverage because of federal rules requiring that beneficiaries and applicants provide documentation proving their U.S. citizenship. This is according to a study recently released by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Service. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2006 includes a provision that most people who seek Medicaid enrollment must provide “satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship.”

The researchers also said that the percentage of beneficiaries who lost coverage did not take into account the number of newborn children or new applicants affected by the law. You can watch a web cast of the event or check out the press release here. Read a Denver Post article about the GW study here.