Budget Amendment ID: FY2013-S4-633-R1

Redraft EHS 633

Relative to Continuity of Care for Families Relying on MassHealth Coverage

Messrs. Eldridge and Brownsberger and Ms. Jehlen, Ms. Clark and Ms. Spilka and Mr. DiDomenico and Ms. Chang-Diaz and Mr. Montigny moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section 155, the following section:-

"SECTION 155A. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services shall pursue all reasonable efforts to automatically renew eligible children and families into the MassHealth program, through the adoption of the express-lane eligibility option created under section 203 of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, Public Law 111-3, as it pertains to renewals, and through the extension of that approach to all children and their eligible parents enrolled in medical assistance under chapter 118E of the General Laws. Specifically, the executive office shall seek federal authority under the section 1115 demonstration processor the state planto automatically re-enroll all children and their eligible parents who are eligible for other state or federal assistance programs whose eligibility requirements are within the requirements for the applicable MassHealth program.

(b) The executive office of health and human services shall provide families with renewal forms for all programs administered under said chapter 118E in which the fields have been pre-populated with the most current information known to the executive office. This subsection shall be effective not later than January 1, 2014.

(c) There shall be a study committee to investigate the feasibility and cost of continuous MassHealth eligibility for children under the age of 19.  The committee shall consist of the following members: the director of the office of Medicaid, or a designee, who shall serve as chair; the secretary of health and human services, or a designee; the secretary of administration and finance, or a designee; the house chair of the joint committee on health care financing, or a designee; the senate chair of the joint committee on health care financing, or a designee; and a representative of health care consumers, to be appointed by the governor.  The committee shall formulate relevant Medicaid state plan amendments, cost projections and information technology specifications necessary to implement continuous eligibility for children not later than June 30, 2014.

(d)  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services shall conduct an investigation of all federal and state assistance programs to determine which programs share eligibility requirements with MassHealth and which could feasibly share data with the MassHealth program for purposes of renewing eligible children and their eligible parents in MassHealth through the express-lane eligibility option created under said Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, Public Law 111-3. The executive office shall submit a report on the results of such investigation by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate who shall forward the report to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on health care financing and the joint committee on children and families and persons with disabilities not later than April 1, 2013.".