Once Medicaid Decides That You’re Dead, It’s Hard To Come Back To Life

When you’re dead, you generally can’t come back. It’s also difficult to come back when you’re actually alive, but the government thinks that you’re dead. An 87-year-old on Brooklyn is understandably worried, because Medicaid has declared her dead. If other government services believe them, dead people don’t need to do things like visit doctors or eat, so her income, food stamps, and health insurance would stop. This would be bad.

It was New York City’s Bureau of Fraud Investigation that declared the woman dead. They claim that records show that she’s deceased, and they’re ending her benefits. A “computer error” killed her off, but it’s not as easy as just hitting “undo” on that error and restoring her government services.

The process of appealing her alleged death means going to Social Security and to the state DMV so they will issue her a non-driver ID card. The problem is that all of that could take weeks, and she still needs money to live on and medical services right now.

For example, she’s being treated for cancer, and has already canceled a doctor’s appointment. If the federal government thinks that she’s dead, she won’t receive her Social Security check.

After a call from the local CBS affiliate, the city promises that they’re working on her case.

Brooklyn Woman Mistakenly Declared Dead, Has Medicaid Cut Off [CBS New York]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist