Minnesota Senate Bill SF531

Minnesota 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/23
• Refer: 1/23/23

Caption

Procedures specification for the disenrollment of medical assistance and MinnesotaCare enrollees

Impact

One of the key impacts of SF531 is the introduction of continuous eligibility for children under medical assistance, which aims to prevent gaps in healthcare coverage. Children aged six and older will be guaranteed eligibility for 12 months once they are determined eligible, while those under six will maintain eligibility until they reach that age. This aim is to enhance healthcare stability for families, minimizing the risk of losing coverage due to administrative errors or miscommunication.

Summary

Senate File 531 is a legislative proposal focused on the procedures related to the disenrollment of individuals from medical assistance programs, specifically targeting the MinnesotaCare enrollees. The bill emphasizes the importance of ensuring that individuals do not lose their medical assistance coverage without proper attempts to reach them. To this end, the bill mandates that the commissioner must update contact information for enrollees and cannot disenroll individuals based solely on returned mail. Instead, two contact attempts must be made through various communication means before any disenrollment action is taken.

Contention

Despite the positive aspects of the bill, there are points of contention surrounding its implementation. Concerns have been raised regarding the feasibility of the mandated contact attempts and updates to enrollee information. Critics argue that the processes may strain resources within the Department of Human Services. Additionally, there could be debates concerning how effectively these measures will be implemented and the potential costs associated with enforcing the more rigorous reenrollment procedures.