SENATE MEMORIAL 10

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

Gerald P. Ortiz y Pino

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO ANALYZE THE MEDICAID RENEW PILOT PROJECT, TO PROVIDE DATA REGARDING CASE CLOSURES AND REINSTATEMENTS, TO REFRAIN FROM CASE CLOSURES WITHOUT A FINDING OF INELIGIBILITY, TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS CAUSING MEDICAID-ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO LOSE COVERAGE AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS TO THE LEGISLATURE.

     WHEREAS, federal law and regulation require that medicaid recipients renew their medicaid applications at least once every twelve months; and

     WHEREAS, federal law and regulation prohibit a state from closing a medicaid case unless the state has made a finding that the family is no longer eligible; and

     WHEREAS, since May 2004, the numbers of women, children and low-income families enrolled in medicaid have been highly unstable and have decreased overall; and

     WHEREAS, a study by the nonpartisan research company, Mathematica policy research, incorporated, concluded that seventy percent of children lose their medicaid coverage every year; and

     WHEREAS, continuity of care is important, especially for children receiving preventive care and developmental screenings; and

     WHEREAS, in October 2007, the human services department instituted a statewide pilot project called the "medicaid renew pilot project", intended to simplify the renewal process for both the caseworkers and for women, children and low-income families; and

     WHEREAS, under the medicaid renew pilot project, children, women and low-income families who are receiving medicaid and are not receiving benefits from other programs may now renew their medicaid coverage without submitting a signed renewal form and instead may renew their medicaid by telephone, electronic mail, facsimile or regular mail; and

     WHEREAS, the human services department has reported an increase in the number of children enrolled in medicaid since the implementation of the medicaid renew pilot project; and

     WHEREAS, the medicaid renew pilot project remains only a pilot project and has not been permanently adopted by the human services department, pending an analysis of the success of the pilot project;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the human services department be requested to conduct an analysis of the medicaid renew pilot project that demonstrates how successful the pilot project has been, including the number of women, children and low-income family medicaid cases that are due to renew every month, the number of renewal notices issued every month, the dates that those renewal notices are issued, the number of families that respond every month, the dates that those families respond, the number of renewal applications that are processed every month and the number of cases that are denied or renewed every month; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the human services department be requested to provide data showing how many women, children and low-income family medicaid cases are closed every month and when, if ever, they are reinstated; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the human services department be requested to refrain from terminating any medicaid case unless and until the human services department has determined one of the following to be true:

          A. the participant is no longer financially eligible;

          B. the participant has received notification of requirements for renewal and has failed to meet those requirements within thirty days of notification; or

          C. the participant can no longer be reached through any reasonable measures, including telephone, reverse postal look-up, re-mailing or checking other applicable state data systems for a more recent address; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the human services department be requested to resolve any problems it uncovers concerning eligible medicaid recipients experiencing a lapse or an end to their medicaid coverage; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the human services department be requested to report to the interim legislative health and human services committee and the interim welfare reform oversight committee and to the legislative finance committee on its findings and any corrective action taken in July 2008 and again in November 2008; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of human services and to the governor.

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