HB 31 -- Medical Services and Eligibility

Co-Sponsors:  Bearden, Reinhart, Portwood, Wright, Jetton,
Stevenson, Crowell, Hanaway

This bill makes several changes to the laws relating to Medicaid
eligibility and covered services.  In its major provisions, the
bill:

(1)  Provides that if money is not appropriated in a given fiscal
year to fund medical services for aged, blind, and disabled
individuals whose income is greater than 80% of the federal
poverty level, then those individuals are not eligible for
medical assistance for that fiscal year;

(2)  Allows Medicaid to cover non-prescription drugs;

(3)  Allows the Department of Social Services to negotiate with
drug manufacturers for supplemental rebates;

(4)  Requires restrictions on payments for pharmacy services and
prior authorization to be implemented only by rule or regulation;

(5)  Provides that if money is not appropriated in a given year
for any service authorized for coverage by the Medicaid Program,
then the service may not be provided and individuals otherwise
eligible to receive the service are no longer deemed eligible;

(6)  Adds non-emergency medical transportation to the list of
services for which the Division of Medical Services may require
the recipient to make a copayment and specifies that the
copayment is a credit against payments owed by the state for the
service;

(7)  Requires that general relief payments and medical assistance
for individuals receiving general relief be provided only if
appropriations are made for them.  If the funds appropriated are
insufficient to make the payments, the amount of the payments
must be reduced pro rata; and if money is not appropriated, the
benefits will not be provided, and individuals otherwise eligible
are no longer deemed eligible for benefits during that fiscal
year;

(8)  Specifies that medical assistance benefits for individuals
receiving general relief are subject to appropriations; and

(9)  Requires the department to establish by rule certain
requirements for participation in the MC+ for Kids Program.
These requirements include verifying available income, allowing
the department to contact the participant's employer to verify
the availability or unavailability of employer-sponsored health
insurance, and making participants ineligible if they fail to
provide three copayments within a one-year period.

The bill contains an emergency clause.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 10, 2003 at 4:13 pm