AB 474

Under current law, the Department of Health Services (DHS) administers the

Medical Assistance (MA) program, which is a joint federal and state program that

pays for health services and long-term care to individuals who have limited

resources. In some instances, the current MA program allows individuals who have

income levels over 133 percent of the federal poverty line to receive benefits under

the program. Current law requires DHS to request a waiver from the federal

government to allow the department to implement eligibility standards,

methodologies, and procedures under the state MA plan or federal Medicaid law

waivers that are more restrictive than those in place on March 23, 2010. If the federal

government does not approve the waiver request before December 31, 2011, DHS

must reduce, on July 1, 2012, following the procedures under federal law, income

eligibility levels to 133 percent of the federal poverty line for adults who are not

pregnant or disabled for the purposes of determining eligibility to the extent

permitted under federal law. The bill changes the deadline for federal government

approval of the waiver request to March 1, 2012.