Amendment #132 to H4617

Expanding the Medicare Savings Programs

Representatives Ashe of Longmeadow, Ultrino of Malden, Smizik of Brookline, González of Springfield, DuBois of Brockton, Hecht of Watertown, Decker of Cambridge, Williams of Springfield, Cahill of Lynn and Lewis of Framingham move to amend the bill by striking out section 70 and inserting in place thereof the following section:

“SECTION 70. Chapter 118E of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 25 the following section:-

SECTION  25A. The division shall disregard income in an amount equivalent to 65 per cent of the federal poverty level, as adjusted annually, in determining eligibility for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary and Qualified Individual programs, described in 42 U.S.C. §1396(a)(10)(E) and also known as the Medicare Savings or Medicare Buy-In Programs in accordance with the following schedule or such earlier date as the division determines to be feasible: In the year in which the state plan amendment is approved, the division shall disregard income in an amount equivalent to 15 per cent of the federal poverty level; in the following year, the division shall disregard income in an amount equivalent to 35 per cent of the federal poverty level; in the following year the division shall disregard income in an amount equivalent to 50 per cent of the federal poverty level, and in the following year, the division shall disregard income in an amount equivalent to 65 per cent of the federal poverty level.

The division shall implement a waiting list in any year in which the number of qualified applicants for the Qualified Individual Program exceeds the annual block grant amount for said program. The division shall disregard the cash surrender value of a life insurance policy when counting resources in determining eligibility for said Medicare Savings Programs. The division shall submit a state plan amendment to implement this section no later than 30 days after the effective date of this section and subsequently promulgate all regulations necessary to implement said income and asset disregards.”.