Frank Mecca, executive director of the County Welfare Directors Association of California, said his group is very worried that eligible people will be wrongfully dropped from Medi-Cal and won't get the care they need, such as in-home support services.

For example, he said, there are African-Americans who lack birth certificates because they came from the South, where many of their mothers were not allowed to give birth in hospitals decades ago.

"These are the kind of people we're concerned about," Mecca said. "I really believe this is everyone's concern."

Chris Perrone, senior program officer for the California Healthcare Foundation in Oakland, said the new federal verification requirements are coming at an awkward time.

"States are still working through the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan morass to make sure Medicaid recipients are getting drug coverage they're eligible for," he said.

The Associated Press and New York Times News Service contributed to this report.

This article is taken from The San Diego Union-Tribune, June 6, 2006.

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