Politics

Ilhan Omar Blamed Trump For Death Of An Infant Who Is Still Alive Before Correcting Herself

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Mary Margaret Olohan Social Issues Reporter
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Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar blamed President Donald Trump for the death of an infant who is still alive before correcting herself.

The Minnesota representative tweeted a New York Times article Thursday that discussed 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.” (RELATED: This Is What A HuffPost Reporter Called An Unborn Baby’s Heartbeat)

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.

Omar replied to her tweet with a correction over two hours later: “almost died*.”

“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.”

The Trump administration has not “explicitly tried to limit” Medicaid coverage for children, The NYT noted.

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