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2024 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 17
BY SENATOR MCMATH
MEDICAID. Requests the Louisiana Department of Health to increase eligibility
requirements for the Medicaid Purchase Plan.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to increase eligibility requirements
3 for the Medicaid Purchase Plan to the original countable income and asset limits.
4 WHEREAS, the Medicaid Purchase Plan (MPP) is an optional Medicaid program
5 that provides healthcare coverage to individuals with disabilities who are employed and meet
6 specific income requirements; and
7 WHEREAS, MPP was implemented in January 2004, and provides full medical
8 coverage, including prescription drugs, hospital care, doctor services, medical equipment and
9 supplies, medical transportation, and personal assistance services; and
10 WHEREAS, in order to qualify for the program, individuals are required to: have a
11 significant disability that matches Social Security standards; work; be at least sixteen years
12 of age but not yet sixty-five; have countable income and countable assets below the program
13 limits; and take other health insurance coverage, if available at no cost to the individual; and
14 WHEREAS, when the program was first implemented, the income and asset limits
15 for individuals were an annual countable income of less than 250% of the Federal Poverty
16 Limit (FPL) and countable assets of less than $25,000; and
17 WHEREAS, in 2014, significant changes were made to the program that reduced the
18 countable income to the current limit of $1,215 per month for a family of one and $1,644 for
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1 a family of two; and
2 WHEREAS, the changes in 2014 also reduced countable assets to the current limit
3 of less than $10,000; and
4 WHEREAS, working individuals with disabilities are now only able to make income
5 just slightly over the regular Medicaid income limits; and
6 WHEREAS, these reductions have forced individuals with disabilities to choose
7 between employment and Medicaid; and
8 WHEREAS, unfortunately, most of those individuals have chosen to leave their jobs
9 so that they could continue the much-needed support from the home and community-based
10 services they received; and
11 WHEREAS, work is a fundamental part of adult life for people with and without
12 disabilities; and
13 WHEREAS, all MPP participants are tax-paying residents and have contributed a
14 total of over $8,000,000 in federal taxes, including FICA and federal income tax, and over
15 $1,000,000 in state taxes since the inception of the program.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
17 urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to increase eligibility requirements for
18 the Medicaid Purchase Plan to the original countable income and asset limits, allowing
19 people with disabilities to receive personal assistance services, get out of poverty, and
20 participate in and be fully included in their communities.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
22 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Amanda Trapp.
DIGEST
SCR 17 Engrossed 2024 Regular Session McMath
Requests the Louisiana Department of Health to increase eligibility requirements for the
Medicaid Purchase Plan to the original countable income and asset limits.
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Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill
1. Makes a technical change.
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