Subscribe to receive our Floor Reports covering all the action on the Texas House and Senate floor!
Relating to the period of continuous eligibility and a periodic eligibility review for a child for Medicaid.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
HB 290 would require the Executive Commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission to provide two consecutive six month periods of continuous Medicaid eligibility for a qualifying child under the age of 19.
HB 290 would require HHSC to review the child's household income using electronic income data available to the commission during the six months following the date eligibility for medical assistance is certified or recertified. Based on this review:
If a child's household, after the review, is found to exceed the maximum income eligibility, the commission would be required to continue to provide medical assistance for 30 days until the parents or guardians provide proper documentation, granting a second consecutive period of continuous eligibility, and the period expires, when the commission would send the parents a written notice of termination. HB 290 would ensure that a child's period of continuous eligibility for medical assistance ends on their 19th birthday and the commission would be prevented from recertifying the child's eligibility more frequently than every 12 months.
Changes made to this bill by the committee substitute do not substantively affect our analysis or vote recommendation.
HB 290 provides a method to simplify the recertification process for children in Medical Assistance Programs. This action simplifies the process and extends the age eligibility to 19 years of age. Texas Action is neutral on HB 290.