Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5205 Compare Versions

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55 2025 -- H 5205
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99 S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
1010 IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1111 JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
1212 ____________
1313
1414 A N A C T
1515 RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- HEALTH CARE FOR
1616 CHILDREN AND PREGNAN T WOMEN
1717 Introduced By: Representatives Slater, Diaz, Kislak, Potter, Cruz, and Cotter
1818 Date Introduced: January 24, 2025
1919 Referred To: House Finance
2020
2121
2222 It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
2323 SECTION 1. Legislative findings. 1
2424 The general assembly hereby finds as follows: 2
2525 (1) Stable health coverage for infants and young children helps ensure children receive high-3
2626 quality and timely preventive health care, including vaccinations and screenings, routine care for 4
2727 illnesses, specialized health care when needed, and emergency health care services; 5
2828 (2) Routine physical and developmental screenings that occur over eleven (11) recommended 6
2929 scheduled well-child preventive health care visits from birth until age three (3) years help to identify 7
3030 potential developmental delays and disabilities, as well as emerging vision, hearing, dental, and 8
3131 physical conditions, as well as developmental delays and disabilities, as early as possible so that 9
3232 further appropriate evaluations, interventions, and treatments can be provided; 10
3333 (3) Young children experience six (6) to nine (9) acute, short-term illnesses per year that can 11
3434 require a health care visit and treatment, including respiratory viruses, gastrointestinal illness, 12
3535 croup, ear infections, conjunctivitis, fevers, and skin rashes and some young children have chronic, 13
3636 long-term illnesses that require frequent health care visits for evaluations, diagnosis, treatment, and 14
3737 management of these chronic conditions; 15
3838 (4) At least sixty percent (60%) of infants and young children under the age of three (3) in 16
3939 Rhode Island have Medicaid/Rite Care coverage; 17
4040 (5) Children may lose their health coverage at the required yearly redetermination of 18
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4444 eligibility due solely to administrative barriers and then requalify within a short period of time 1
4545 (commonly referred to as “churn”); nationally, 44% of children who were terminated from 2
4646 Medicaid in 2018 re-enrolled within twelve (12) months. 3
4747 (6) Continuous eligibility for Medicaid (RIte Track/RIte Care) during infancy and the early 4
4848 childhood years will prevent gaps in coverage, ensuring that children remain enrolled in their health 5
4949 plan with consistent coverage so that they can receive timely and necessary preventative, routine, 6
5050 and emergency care services and treatment for identified conditions to promote healthy 7
5151 development; and 8
5252 (7) Continuous eligibility also promotes health equity by limiting gaps in coverage for low-9
5353 income children who experience disproportionate rates of health disparities, particularly children 10
5454 of color. 11
5555 (8) As of January 15, 2025, eight states (HI, MN, NC, NM, NY, OR, PA, and WA) are 12
5656 implementing continuous coverage for young children up to age six, one state is implementing 13
5757 continuous coverage up to age three (CO) and three states and the District of Columbia have taken 14
5858 administrative or legislative action to implement continuous coverage for children up to age four 15
5959 (OH), age five (CA), and age six (IL and DC). 16
6060 SECTION 2. The title of Chapter 42-12.3 of the General Laws entitled "Health Care for 17
6161 Children and Pregnant Women" is hereby amended to read as follows: 18
6262 CHAPTER 42-12.3 19
6363 Health Care for Children and Pregnant Women 20
6464 CHAPTER 42-12.3 21
6565 ACT TO STABILIZE HEALTH COVERAGE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN 22
6666 SECTION 3. Chapter 42-12.3 of the General Laws entitled "Health Care for Children and 23
6767 Pregnant Women" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 24
6868 42-12.3-17. Continuous coverage for children up to age three (3). 25
6969 (a) Individuals up to age three (3) years who are enrolled in RIte Track/RIte Care pursuant 26
7070 to this chapter shall qualify for continuous eligibility until the end of the month in which their third 27
7171 birthday falls. Continuous eligibility shall end if the individual is no longer a resident of Rhode 28
7272 Island, the parent or guardian of the individual requests termination of eligibility, the individual 29
7373 dies or the executive office of health and human services determines that eligibility was erroneously 30
7474 granted. 31
7575 (b) The executive office of health and human services shall seek any necessary 32
7676 amendments to the Rhode Island Medicaid Section 1115 waiver to implement continuous 33
7777 eligibility. 34
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8181 SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1
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8888 EXPLANATION
8989 BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
9090 OF
9191 A N A C T
9292 RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- HEALTH CARE FOR
9393 CHILDREN AND PREGNAN T WOMEN
9494 ***
9595 This act would provide children up to age three (3) with continuous coverage eligibility for 1
9696 RIte Track/RIte Care so that they are not at risk of losing coverage at the yearly redetermination 2
9797 due solely to administrative barriers. 3
9898 This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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