HOUSE BILL NO. 337
INTRODUCED BY G. FORRESTER
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT INCREASING THE INCOME ELIGIBILITY FOR MEDICAID AND THE STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN TO 200 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL; REVISING THE REQUIREMENT FOR A RESOURCE TEST FOR INFANTS AND PREGNANT WOMEN WHOSE FAMILY INCOME IS UNDER 133 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL; REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO SIMPLIFY THE APPLICATION FORM FOR PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE OR BENEFITS OR HEALTH INSURANCE TO FAMILIES; PROVIDING FOR AUTOMATIC ELIGIBILITY IN MEDICAID OR THE STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR LOSING ELIGIBILITY QUALIFY A PERSON FOR ENROLLMENT; AMENDING SECTIONS 53-4-1004, 53-4-1006, AND 53-6-131, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE."
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Section 53-4-1004, MCA, is amended to read:
"53-4-1004. (Temporary) Eligibility for program -- rulemaking. (1) To be considered eligible for the program, a child:
(a) must be 18 years of age or younger;
(b) except as provided in subsection (4) (5), must have a combined family income at or below 150% 200% of the
federal poverty level;
(c) may not already be covered by private insurance that offers creditable coverage, as defined in 42 U.S.C. 300gg(c);
(d) may not be eligible for medicaid benefits; and
(e) must be a United States citizen or qualified alien and a Montana resident.
(2) The department of public health and human services shall adopt rules that establish the program's criteria for residency. The criteria must conform as nearly as practicable with the residency requirements for medicaid eligibility.
(3) An individual who is eligible for a program under this section and loses eligibility must be enrolled in a program under 53-6-131 without making reapplication if the circumstances for losing eligibility qualify the individual for a program.
(3)(4) Subject to 53-4-1009(3), rules governing eligibility may also include financial standards and criteria for income
and resources, treatment of resources, and nonfinancial criteria.
(4)(5) If the department determines that there is insufficient funding for the program, it may lower the percentage of the
federal poverty level established in subsection (1)(b) in order to reduce the number of persons who may be eligible to
participate. (Terminates on occurrence of contingency--sec. 15, Ch. 571, L. 1999.)"
Section 2. Section 53-4-1006, MCA, is amended to read:
"53-4-1006. Simplified application form for programs that provide medical assistance or benefits or health
insurance to children. (1) The department of public health and human services shall develop and implement the use of a
simplified application form and process to determine eligibility for children to receive:
(a) medical assistance or medical benefits as provided in 53-6-131;
(b) the child-only group health insurance plan provided through the federal Title IV-D program of the department; or
(c) health care under the state children's health insurance program as provided in this part.
(2) The department shall develop, in conjunction with health care providers, clients, client representatives, and tribes, and implement the use of a simplified application form and process to determine eligibility for individuals in the same family to receive medical assistance or medical benefits, as provided in 53-6-131, in conjunction with the programs listed in subsection (1) for which only children may qualify.
(2)(3) The application for eligibility for medical assistance may not presume that application is being made for other
forms of public assistance. An appropriate resource test may be incorporated into the application as required by federal law.
The department of public health and human services shall coordinate education and outreach efforts with any organization
performing education and outreach for any of the programs that are included in the form."
Section 3. Section 53-6-131, MCA, is amended to read:
"53-6-131. Eligibility requirements. (1) Medical assistance under the Montana medicaid program may be granted to a person who is determined by the department of public health and human services, in its discretion, to be eligible as follows:
(a) The person receives or is considered to be receiving supplemental security income benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1381, et seq., and does not have income or resources in excess of the applicable medical assistance limits or receive from FAIM financial assistance, as defined in 53-4-702, benefits under Title IV of the federal Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 601, et seq.
(b) The person would be eligible for assistance under a program described in subsection (1)(a) if that person were to apply for that assistance.
(c) The person is in a medical facility that is a medicaid provider and, but for residence in the facility, the person would be receiving assistance under one of the programs in subsection (1)(a).
(d) The person is under 19 years of age and meets the conditions of eligibility in the state plan, as defined in 53-4-201, other than with respect to age and school attendance.
(e) The person is under 21 years of age and in foster care under the supervision of the state or was in foster care under the supervision of the state and has been adopted as a child with special needs.
(f) The person meets the nonfinancial criteria of the categories in subsections (1)(a) through (1)(e) and:
(i) the person's income does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level or the income level specified for federally aided categories of assistance and the person's resources are within the resource standards of the federal supplemental security income program; or
(ii) the person, while having income greater than the medically needy income level specified for federally aided categories of assistance:
(A) has an adjusted income level, after incurring medical expenses, that does not exceed the medically needy income level specified for federally aided categories of assistance or, alternatively, has paid in cash to the department the amount by which the person's income exceeds the medically needy income level specified for federally aided categories of assistance; and
(B) has resources that are within the resource standards of the federal supplemental security income program.
(g) The person is a qualified pregnant woman or child as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1396d(n).
(2) The department may establish income and resource limitations. Limitations of income and resources must be within the amounts permitted by federal law for the medicaid program.
(3) The Montana medicaid program shall pay, as required by federal law, the premiums necessary for medicaid-eligible persons participating in the medicare program and may, within the discretion of the department, pay all or a portion of the medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance for a qualified medicare-eligible person or for a qualified disabled and working individual, as defined in section 6408(d)(2) of the federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, Public Law 101-239, who:
(a) has income that does not exceed income standards as may be required by the Social Security Act; and
(b) has resources that do not exceed standards that the department determines reasonable for purposes of the program.
(4) The department may pay a medicaid-eligible person's expenses for premiums, coinsurance, and similar costs for health insurance or other available health coverage, as provided in 42 U.S.C. 1396b(a)(1).
(5) In accordance with waivers of federal law that are granted by the secretary of the U.S. department of health and human services, the department of public health and human services may grant eligibility for basic medicaid benefits as described in 53-6-101 to an individual receiving FAIM financial assistance, as defined in 53-4-702, as the specified caretaker relative of a dependent child under the FAIM project and to all adult recipients of medical assistance only who are covered under a group related to the program of FAIM financial assistance. A recipient who is pregnant, meets the criteria for disability provided in Title II of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 416, et seq., or is less than 21 years of age is entitled to full medicaid coverage as provided in 53-6-101.
(6) The department, under the Montana medicaid program, may provide, if a waiver is not available from the federal government, medicaid and other assistance mandated by Title XIX of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1396, et seq., as may be amended, and not specifically listed in this part to categories of persons that may be designated by the act for receipt of assistance.
(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, medical assistance must be provided to infants and pregnant
women whose family income does not exceed 133% 200% of the federal poverty threshold, as provided in 42 U.S.C.
1396a(a)(10)(A)(ii)(IX) and 42 U.S.C. 1396a(l)(2)(A)(i), and whose family resources do not exceed standards that the
department determines reasonable for purposes of the program.
(8) Subject to appropriations, the department may cooperate with and make grants to a nonprofit corporation that uses donated funds to provide basic preventive and primary health care medical benefits to children whose families are ineligible for the Montana medicaid program and who are ineligible for any other health care coverage, are under 19 years of age, and are enrolled in school if of school age.
(9) A person described in subsection (7) must be provided continuous eligibility for medical assistance, as authorized in 42 U.S.C. 1396a(e)(5) through a(e)(7).
(10) The department may establish resource and income standards of eligibility for mental health services that are more liberal than the resource and income standards of eligibility for physical health services. The standards for eligibility for mental health services may provide for eligibility for households not eligible for medicaid with family income that does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty threshold or that does not exceed a lesser amount determined in the discretion of the department. The department may by rule specify under what circumstances deductions for medical expenses should be used to reduce countable family income in determining eligibility. The department may also adopt rules establishing fees, premiums, or copayments to be charged recipients for services. The fees, premiums, or copayments may vary according to family income.
(11) An individual who is eligible for a program under this section and loses eligibility must be enrolled in a program under 53-4-1004 without making reapplication if the circumstances for losing eligibility qualify the individual for enrollment."
NEW SECTION. Section 4. Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2001.
- END -
Latest Version of HB 337 (HB0337.01)
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