Few Washington, D.C., Children in Medicaid Tested for Lead Poisoning as Required, Lawsuit Alleges

Almost 80% of the 29,000 children under age five enrolled in Medicaid in Washington, D.C., were not screened for blood-lead poisoning last year, which violates Medicaid guidelines, according to motions filed earlier this month with the U.S. District Court in D.C., the Washington Post reports. Medicaid guidelines state that children enrolled in the program must be screened for blood-lead levels two times by age two, or at least once by age five, but the "landmark" class-action suit claims the District's Medicaid providers did not screen 54% of children ages one to two who "c[a]me in for checkups." The suit also says that 78% of children under age five had not been screened. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to "force" the city to test all children in the program and calls for the city to be fined $500 for each child who came into a doctor's office last year but was not screened. Kathleen Millian, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the suit, said, "I don't know what the problem could be, unless providers haven't been informed they need to do it." According to the motions, lead testing levels in the District have increased only slightly, from 7% in 1999 to 21% in 2001. Health officials have said that lead, "primarily ... from paint in older run-down homes," is the country's "worst" environmental health threat to children, because elevated blood-lead levels can lead to behavior and learning disorders, neurological problems, coma and death. The District missed a July 15 deadline to respond to the motions, which were filed July 3, the Post reports (Tucker, Washington Post, 7/28).