Bill > S3641

Introduced Session

This bill increases income and resource threshold limits for certain Medicaid eligibility groups. Specifically, the bill increases the income eligibility for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) eligibility group from 100 percent of the federal poverty level to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which, in 2024, would increase the income threshold from $15,060 per year to $20,783 per year for an individual. In doing so, the bill provides for an identical income threshold under Medicaid for the ABD population as is currently used for individuals under 65 years of age without disabilities. The Medicaid ABD pathway provides medical coverage to individuals who are age 65 years or older as well as individuals determined blind or disabled by the federal Social Security Administration or by the State. The bill also increases the Medically Needy Income Limit, which allows an income ineligible applicant for ABD benefits to deduct certain medical expenses from the applicant's income in order to become eligible for Medicaid. Under the bill, this threshold would also be 138 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2024, the State's Medically Needy Income Limit is $367 per month for an individual, which would increase to $1,732 under the bill. Finally, the bill increases the resource eligibility limit for the ABD eligibility group and the Medically Needy eligibility group, as well as for qualified applicants for the State's Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Program and Medicare Savings Programs, to $40,000 for an individual and $60,000 for a couple. The current resource thresholds for an individual under these eligibility pathways are as follows: $4,000 for the ABD and Medically Needy; $2,000 for the MLTSS; and $9,090 for the Medicare Savings Programs. The MLTSS program provides access to Medicaid long-term care benefits, in addition to all other covered services, for older adults and people with disabilities who require a skilled nursing facility level of care. Medicare Savings Programs - such as the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program, the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary Program, and the Qualifying Individual Program - assist low-income individuals with Medicare costs via the Medicaid program. The bill aligns these programs' resource standards with the State's current resource threshold under the Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiver, or JACC, program. JACC provides non-Medicaid recipients access to a range of home and community-based services.

Committee Categories

Angela Mcknight (D)*,  Teresa Ruiz (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 09/19/2024)

Official Document