Mary Margaret Olohan on October 24, 2019
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed President Donald Trump for the death of an infant that is still alive before correcting herself.
The Minnesota representative tweeted a New York Times article Thursday that discusses an ill 9-month-old baby named Elijah who lost his Medicaid coverage.
“A nine month old died as a direct result of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and [the Children’s Health Insurance Program],” tweeted Omar. “He is one of a million children to lose healthcare. Let that sink in.”
A nine month old died as a direct result of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and CHIP.
He is one of a million children to lose healthcare.
Let that sink in. https://t.co/U4q8uXksKZ
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) October 24, 2019
The Tuesday NYT article Omar linked to made no mention of the child’s death. It discussed Elijah’s visit to a Texas hospital in September and his mother’s distress over her child’s lack of Medicaid coverage.
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Omar replied to her tweet with a correction over two hours later: “almost died*.”
almost died*
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) October 24, 2019
“I went to the ER thinking he had insurance,” Kristin Johnson told The NYT. “If the receptionist had not seen him turning blue, she might have just said, ‘He’s not covered, so we can’t see him today.’ I do think about that.”
Elijah’s loss of coverage might have stemmed from Johnson’s failure to respond quickly to a letter asking her for new proof of income.
“I’ve been on this emotional roller coaster,” the 34-year-old mother told The NYT. “It’s been a very scary month.”
