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F I S C A L   I M P A C T   R E P O R T

 

 

 

SPONSOR:

Hurt

 

DATE TYPED:

02/17/03

 

HB

 

 

SHORT TITLE:

Medicaid Sterilization Age

 

SB

26/aSPAC

 

 

ANALYST:

Weber

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

 

 

$1,295.0

Recurring

General Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

Responses Received From

 

Human Services Department

 

SUMMARY

 

    Synopsis of SPAC Amendment

 

The Senate Public Affairs Committee amendment changes Section 2 in its entirety to read:

 

   Medicaid shall cover a medically necessary sterilization for a recipient who is:

 

A.     of age of majority;

B.     capable of giving informed consent; and

C.     otherwise qualified to receive Medicaid assistance.

 

Human Services indicates adding the age of majority clarifies the bill.   Initially there was no age limitations.  However, procedures for persons under 21 years of age will not receive the federal match necessitating use of 100% General Fund.

 

   Synopsis of Original Bill

 

SB 26 proposes to decrease the age limit for Medicaid funding of sterilization procedures. 

 

    Significant Issues

 

Currently, New Mexico Medicaid requires that a Medicaid recipient must be 21 years in age to qualify to receive sterilization procedures.  This age limit is in concurrence with the requirements in the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 42 section 441.253 under sterilization procedures.

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Human Services indicates there would be an increase in Medicaid’s budget because approval of this bill would allow more women to receive sterilization procedures that are not covered by the federal guidelines for federal financial participation (FFP).  The Medicaid program would have to pay for sterilization procedures for women under the age of 21 out of all state funds.

 

Using Census and Medicaid data it is estimated that there are approximately 23,709 females between 15 and 21 below the poverty level.  Center for Disease Control figures show that 3.9% of females between 15 and 24 are sterilized through tubal ligation.  In New Mexico this would equal 925 possible sterilizations annually at a cost of $1400.0 (Medicaid reimbursement rate) each.  This is total state general fund cost of $1,295,000 since federal regulations do not permit the match for persons under 21 years of age.  This would obviously lead to a reduced pregnancy rate among this population that would off-set some of the costs.

 

MW/prr:sb