SB 905

This bill makes various changes to eligibility determinations for public

assistance programs and, specifically, the Medical Assistance program. The Medical

Assistance program is a joint federal and state program that provides health services

to individuals who have limited financial resources.

The bill prohibits the Department of Health Services from automatically

renewing the eligibility of a recipient for Medical Assistance program benefits. DHS

must determine an individual's eligibility every six months under the bill. DHS is

also prohibited from using prepopulated forms or otherwise supplying information,

except for name and address, to a recipient of or an applicant for Medical Assistance

that has been supplied to DHS. Additionally, any recipient of Medical Assistance

benefits that fails to timely report to DHS or its designee any change that may affect

eligibility is ineligible for benefits for six months from the date DHS discovers the

failure to report the change. Under current law, knowingly concealing or failing to

disclose any event that an individual knows affects the initial or continued right to

a Medical Assistance benefit is subject to a forfeiture of not less than $100 nor more

than $15,000 for each concealment or failure.

The bill requires DHS to enter data sharing agreements with any agency that

maintains a database of financial or personal information about residents of this

state. DHS must confirm the information of an applicant for a public assistance

program against the information contained in those databases. The bill also requires

DHS to share data for this purpose of confirming eligibility for public assistance

programs. Current law requires DHS and the Department of Children and Families

to compare each department's respective databases against the databases of death

records to identify deceased participants.

The bill requires DHS to promptly remove from eligibility for the Medical

Assistance program any individual who has been determined to be ineligible for the

program. Under the federal Families First Coronavirus Act, during a federally

declared public health emergency, a state may receive an enhanced amount of federal

financial participation in its Medical Assistance program if the state complies with

certain criteria, including refraining from disenrolling individuals from the

program. Under the bill, if the disenrollment or any other part of the bill would cause

the state not to comply, that portion of the bill that does not comply may not be

implemented until the period of enhanced federal financial participation ends.

During the period before it ends, DHS must audit Medical Assistance eligibility and

report quarterly to the legislature the number of individuals who are ineligible for

Medical Assistance but who are receiving benefits.