1 | 1 | | |
---|
2 | 2 | | |
---|
3 | 3 | | |
---|
4 | 4 | | |
---|
5 | 5 | | 2025 -- H 5205 |
---|
6 | 6 | | ======== |
---|
7 | 7 | | LC000850 |
---|
8 | 8 | | ======== |
---|
9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
---|
10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
---|
11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
---|
12 | 12 | | ____________ |
---|
13 | 13 | | |
---|
14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
---|
15 | 15 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- HEALTH CARE FOR |
---|
16 | 16 | | CHILDREN AND PREGNAN T WOMEN |
---|
17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Representatives Slater, Diaz, Kislak, Potter, Cruz, and Cotter |
---|
18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: January 24, 2025 |
---|
19 | 19 | | Referred To: House Finance |
---|
20 | 20 | | |
---|
21 | 21 | | |
---|
22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
---|
23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Legislative findings. 1 |
---|
24 | 24 | | The general assembly hereby finds as follows: 2 |
---|
25 | 25 | | (1) Stable health coverage for infants and young children helps ensure children receive high-3 |
---|
26 | 26 | | quality and timely preventive health care, including vaccinations and screenings, routine care for 4 |
---|
27 | 27 | | illnesses, specialized health care when needed, and emergency health care services; 5 |
---|
28 | 28 | | (2) Routine physical and developmental screenings that occur over eleven (11) recommended 6 |
---|
29 | 29 | | scheduled well-child preventive health care visits from birth until age three (3) years help to identify 7 |
---|
30 | 30 | | potential developmental delays and disabilities, as well as emerging vision, hearing, dental, and 8 |
---|
31 | 31 | | physical conditions, as well as developmental delays and disabilities, as early as possible so that 9 |
---|
32 | 32 | | further appropriate evaluations, interventions, and treatments can be provided; 10 |
---|
33 | 33 | | (3) Young children experience six (6) to nine (9) acute, short-term illnesses per year that can 11 |
---|
34 | 34 | | require a health care visit and treatment, including respiratory viruses, gastrointestinal illness, 12 |
---|
35 | 35 | | croup, ear infections, conjunctivitis, fevers, and skin rashes and some young children have chronic, 13 |
---|
36 | 36 | | long-term illnesses that require frequent health care visits for evaluations, diagnosis, treatment, and 14 |
---|
37 | 37 | | management of these chronic conditions; 15 |
---|
38 | 38 | | (4) At least sixty percent (60%) of infants and young children under the age of three (3) in 16 |
---|
39 | 39 | | Rhode Island have Medicaid/Rite Care coverage; 17 |
---|
40 | 40 | | (5) Children may lose their health coverage at the required yearly redetermination of 18 |
---|
41 | 41 | | |
---|
42 | 42 | | |
---|
43 | 43 | | LC000850 - Page 2 of 4 |
---|
44 | 44 | | eligibility due solely to administrative barriers and then requalify within a short period of time 1 |
---|
45 | 45 | | (commonly referred to as “churn”); nationally, 44% of children who were terminated from 2 |
---|
46 | 46 | | Medicaid in 2018 re-enrolled within twelve (12) months. 3 |
---|
47 | 47 | | (6) Continuous eligibility for Medicaid (RIte Track/RIte Care) during infancy and the early 4 |
---|
48 | 48 | | childhood years will prevent gaps in coverage, ensuring that children remain enrolled in their health 5 |
---|
49 | 49 | | plan with consistent coverage so that they can receive timely and necessary preventative, routine, 6 |
---|
50 | 50 | | and emergency care services and treatment for identified conditions to promote healthy 7 |
---|
51 | 51 | | development; and 8 |
---|
52 | 52 | | (7) Continuous eligibility also promotes health equity by limiting gaps in coverage for low-9 |
---|
53 | 53 | | income children who experience disproportionate rates of health disparities, particularly children 10 |
---|
54 | 54 | | of color. 11 |
---|
55 | 55 | | (8) As of January 15, 2025, eight states (HI, MN, NC, NM, NY, OR, PA, and WA) are 12 |
---|
56 | 56 | | implementing continuous coverage for young children up to age six, one state is implementing 13 |
---|
57 | 57 | | continuous coverage up to age three (CO) and three states and the District of Columbia have taken 14 |
---|
58 | 58 | | administrative or legislative action to implement continuous coverage for children up to age four 15 |
---|
59 | 59 | | (OH), age five (CA), and age six (IL and DC). 16 |
---|
60 | 60 | | SECTION 2. The title of Chapter 42-12.3 of the General Laws entitled "Health Care for 17 |
---|
61 | 61 | | Children and Pregnant Women" is hereby amended to read as follows: 18 |
---|
62 | 62 | | CHAPTER 42-12.3 19 |
---|
63 | 63 | | Health Care for Children and Pregnant Women 20 |
---|
64 | 64 | | CHAPTER 42-12.3 21 |
---|
65 | 65 | | ACT TO STABILIZE HEALTH COVERAGE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN 22 |
---|
66 | 66 | | SECTION 3. Chapter 42-12.3 of the General Laws entitled "Health Care for Children and 23 |
---|
67 | 67 | | Pregnant Women" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 24 |
---|
68 | 68 | | 42-12.3-17. Continuous coverage for children up to age three (3). 25 |
---|
69 | 69 | | (a) Individuals up to age three (3) years who are enrolled in RIte Track/RIte Care pursuant 26 |
---|
70 | 70 | | to this chapter shall qualify for continuous eligibility until the end of the month in which their third 27 |
---|
71 | 71 | | birthday falls. Continuous eligibility shall end if the individual is no longer a resident of Rhode 28 |
---|
72 | 72 | | Island, the parent or guardian of the individual requests termination of eligibility, the individual 29 |
---|
73 | 73 | | dies or the executive office of health and human services determines that eligibility was erroneously 30 |
---|
74 | 74 | | granted. 31 |
---|
75 | 75 | | (b) The executive office of health and human services shall seek any necessary 32 |
---|
76 | 76 | | amendments to the Rhode Island Medicaid Section 1115 waiver to implement continuous 33 |
---|
77 | 77 | | eligibility. 34 |
---|
78 | 78 | | |
---|
79 | 79 | | |
---|
80 | 80 | | LC000850 - Page 3 of 4 |
---|
81 | 81 | | SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1 |
---|
82 | 82 | | ======== |
---|
83 | 83 | | LC000850 |
---|
84 | 84 | | ======== |
---|
85 | 85 | | |
---|
86 | 86 | | |
---|
87 | 87 | | LC000850 - Page 4 of 4 |
---|
88 | 88 | | EXPLANATION |
---|
89 | 89 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
---|
90 | 90 | | OF |
---|
91 | 91 | | A N A C T |
---|
92 | 92 | | RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- HEALTH CARE FOR |
---|
93 | 93 | | CHILDREN AND PREGNAN T WOMEN |
---|
94 | 94 | | *** |
---|
95 | 95 | | This act would provide children up to age three (3) with continuous coverage eligibility for 1 |
---|
96 | 96 | | RIte Track/RIte Care so that they are not at risk of losing coverage at the yearly redetermination 2 |
---|
97 | 97 | | due solely to administrative barriers. 3 |
---|
98 | 98 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
---|
99 | 99 | | ======== |
---|
100 | 100 | | LC000850 |
---|
101 | 101 | | ======== |
---|