03/19/2012 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

              SB 5-MEDICAL ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:28:43 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS announced that SB 5 was before the committee.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR EGAN  moved to adopt  the proposed  CS for SB  5, labeled                                                               
27-LS0057\I, as the work draft before the committee.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS objected for discussion purposes.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
THOMAS OBERMEYER,  staff to Senator  Bettye Davis, sponsor  of SB
, explained the  changes in version I. The changes  were made in                                                               
response to requests from the  Senate to increase the 200 percent                                                               
federal poverty  guideline only for  children [12 and  under], so                                                               
that there would  be less opposition to  including pregnant women                                                               
and children 13 through 19 in the increase.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
He  addressed changes  in  the bill.  The title  of  the bill  no                                                               
longer includes  pregnant women. Women  and children 13  and over                                                               
are  covered  at  175  percent   of  the  federal  poverty  line.                                                               
Subsection 16  on page 4 of  the bill is entirely  new. It reads,                                                               
"persons under 13  years of age who are not  covered under (a) of                                                               
this  section and  whose  household income  does  not exceed  200                                                               
percent  of the  federal poverty  line as  defined by  the United                                                               
Sates Department of  Health and Human Services  and revised under                                                               
42 U.S.C. 9902(2)."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. OBERMEYER  said these changes  were made to  address concerns                                                               
by  the  department,  the governor,  and  others,  regarding  the                                                               
possibility of  abortions. The bill  would add 968  more children                                                               
to the Denali KidCare Program who otherwise would be uninsured.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:33:11 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MEYER  assumed there  had been  no pregnancies  under the                                                               
age of 13.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. OBERMAYER opined that it would be extremely rare.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS  said it was a  possibility, but she did  not know of                                                               
any. She offered  to provide that information;  however, she said                                                               
the numbers would be difficult to attain.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. OBERMEYER corrected a previous statement to say "under 13."                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS clarified that the changes  in the bill are small and                                                               
it  now covers  ages zero  to 12  only. She  understood that  the                                                               
federal government will now pay the full 70 percent match.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. OBERMEYER pointed out that  the fiscal notes were drafted for                                                               
the previous  version of  the bill. He  explained that  after the                                                               
committee adopts version  I, the Department of  Health and Social                                                               
Services will draft new fiscal notes.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. OBERMEYER emphasized that only children would be counted in                                                                 
the new fiscal notes.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS noted that the committee had adopted version I of SB
. She requested new fiscal notes by Wednesday. [SB 5 was held                                                                  
in committee.]