Legislative Updates
Current State Legislation:
Senate Bill 577--MOHealthNet (New Medicaid)
Senate Bill 577, MO HealthNet, passed both the House and the Senate on May 18, 2007 and was later signed by the Governor. For more information, download the MO HealthNet Fact Sheet to the right of this box.
The basics of this bill are as follows:
- Calls for every participant to have a "Health care home." The idea behind this is to provide a more coordinated and family-centered primary care system where all services and treatment would originate from the health care home.
- A premium system will replace the current spenddown system for copays of individuals who make above 150% of the poverty level.
- Guaranteed services for women, blind and children were put back in to the bill (previously these groups were going to receive Medicaid "subject to appropriations").
- Previously, participants would only qualify for dental and optical services if they earned points by making "healthy choices". This restriction was removed from the bill and dental and optical services were restored. Podiatry and Speech therapy were added, subject to appropriations.
- Durable Medical Equipment was restored and the sunset on the Non-Medicaid Eligible attendant care program was extended to 2019.
Click on the links at the right to download more information about current state legislation.
Current Federal Legislation:
Budget Reconciliation Bill (Section 6086)
Even though, on a bipartisan basis, members of congress have made pledges to expand access to these services under Medicaid, the harmful provisions of Section 6086 related to home-and community-based services could set back the movement toward community integration by decades.
What does Section 6086 do?
The bill creates a new state option that purports to expand access to community services for Medicaid beneficiaries with income up to 150% of the poverty level without requiring individuals to need an institutional level of care. However, it allows for enrollment caps and waiting lists that could actually limit access to services individuals need to maintain their independence; it renders obsolete Medicaid’s existing protections that ensure personal care, rehabilitation and certain other optional services are provided to all Medicaid beneficiaries who need them; it aggravates the institutional bias in Medicaid; and it would operate without the additional oversight and protections for consumers afforded by waivers under current law.
For more information on legislative issues or how to effectively communicate with a legislator, contact Dan Rife at 417-659-8086 or drife@ilcenter.org.
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