IDs For Everything–Except Government Benefits

You need an ID to board an airplane, cash a check, use a credit card and, even, enter many downtown office building. However, you don’t need an ID to apply for Medicaid and potentially receive thousands of dollars in government benefits. And it doesn’t look like you’ll have to show an ID anytime in the near future, either:

Grassley Amendment #C8

Purpose:

An amendment to require presentation of identification in applying for Medicaid benefits

Description of Amendment:

The amendment amends Title 19 of the Social Security Act to require an applicant (or the parent or guardian in the case of a child under the age of 18) to present at the time of application for Medicaid or CHIP benefits government-issued photo identification and that identification must be authenticated with the issuing agency.

Republicans

CHUCK GRASSLEY – yes, ORRIN G. HATCH – yes, OLYMPIA J. SNOWE – yes, JON KYL – yes, JIM BUNNING – yes, MIKE CRAPO – yes, PAT ROBERTS – yes, JOHN ENSIGN – yes, MIKE ENZI – yes, JOHN CORNYN – yes

Democrats

MAX BAUCUS – no, JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER – no, KENT CONRAD – no, JEFF BINGAMAN – no, JOHN F. KERRY – no, BLANCHE L. LINCOLN – no, RON WYDEN – no, CHARLES E. SCHUMER – no, DEBBIE STABENOW -(no vote) MARIA CANTWELL – no, BILL NELSON – no, ROBERT MENENDEZ – no, THOMAS CARPER – no,

Not Agreed to (10-13)

Fraud in Medicaid and Medicare is estimated at around $100 billion a year. Actually proving that someone is who they say they are when applying for benefits would surely trim at least some of that.