HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2547        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1027

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kate Hogan

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to establish criteria for MassHealth hardship waivers.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

 

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

 

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

 

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

 

Frank I. Smizik

15th Norfolk

 

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

2/1/2013

Edward F. Coppinger

10th Suffolk

 

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

 

James M. Murphy

4th Norfolk

 

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

 

John V. Fernandes

10th Worcester

 

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

 

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

 

Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.

34th Middlesex

 

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

 

Martin J. Walsh

13th Suffolk

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2547        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1027

By Ms. Hogan of Stow, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1027) of Kate Hogan and others for legislation to establish criteria for MassHealth hardship waivers.  Health Care Financing.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2086 OF 2011-2012.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act to establish criteria for MassHealth hardship waivers.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 28 of Chapter 118E of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following sections:

In accordance with P.L. 109-171 amending Section 1917(c)(2)(D) of the Social Security Act, the division shall establish criteria and procedures for determining whether undue hardship exists as a result of the imposition of a period of ineligibility, which shall include written notice to said individual that an undue hardship waiver shall be granted and an opportunity to appeal.  An individual shall have no fewer than 30 days after the date of the final decision including court appeals to impose a period of ineligibility to request an undue hardship waiver.

There shall be a rebuttable presumption that an institutionalized individual is eligible for an undue hardship waiver if the individual provides documentation that all of the following criteria are met:

1) the individual has insufficient available resources (excluding the community spouse resource allowance) to provide medical care, food, shelter, clothing and other necessities of life such that the individual would be at risk of serious deprivation or harm;

2) the individual has made reasonable attempts to retrieve the transferred resources or receives adequate compensation.  Reasonable attempts shall not include the filing of frivolous lawsuits;

3) there is no available lest costly alternative to institutional care that would meet the individual's care needs; and

4) the period of ineligibility will not be a mere inconvenience to the applicant but rather will create a situation that would

subject the applicant to risk of serious deprivation.  A nursing facility does not have to express an intent to discharge the individual for nonpayment in order for a hardship waiver to be granted.

The division shall promulgate regulations incorporating these criteria for consideration of an undue hardship waiver request.