03/23/2010 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

                                                                                                                                
        HB 270-MEDICAID FOR MEDICAL & INTERMEDIATE CARE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:53:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HERRON announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE  BILL  NO.  270,   "An  Act  amending  the  eligibility                                                               
threshold  for medical  assistance for  persons in  a medical  or                                                               
intermediate care facility."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KENDRA  KLOSTER,  Staff  to Representative  Cathy  Munoz,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature,  explained HB  270  on  behalf of  the  prime                                                               
sponsor, Representative  Cathy Munoz.   She stated that  the bill                                                               
amended  the  eligibility  threshold  of  medical  assistance  to                                                               
persons in  a medical  or intermediate care  facility.   She said                                                               
that,  in 2003,  the  Alaska State  Legislature  had changed  the                                                               
eligibility  rate  from  300  percent   of  the  social  security                                                               
Supplemental  Security Income  (SSI) to  a fixed  income rate  of                                                               
$1656.00 per  month.  She explained  that this did not  allow for                                                               
any  cost of  living  adjustments by  social  security, and  that                                                               
these  small  increases could  disqualify  some  people from  the                                                               
program.    She explained  that  SSI  was a  federal  needs-based                                                               
disability  program  based  on  the ability  to  work,  with  the                                                               
disability expected to  last at least a year.   She explained the                                                               
difficulty  and cost  of obtaining  a Medicaid  qualifying income                                                               
trust.   She  stated  that  HB 270  would  increase the  Medicaid                                                               
income  eligibility standards  for  individuals who  reside in  a                                                               
medical institution to 300 percent of the current SSI rate.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
[HB 270 was held over.]