Bill > S00614

This bill establishes a "presumptive eligibility" for medical assistance benefits for individuals released from correctional facilities, meaning they are assumed eligible for these benefits for a period of up to sixty days after their release, provided they meet certain preliminary eligibility criteria and federal funding is available. The bill mandates that correctional facilities take steps to enroll individuals into the medical assistance program (often referred to as Medicaid) before their release, unless the individual is already enrolled, ineligible, or chooses not to enroll, and also requires them to assist individuals found ineligible for Medicaid in applying for other medical insurance programs. Additionally, the bill requires the Commissioner of Health to educate individuals leaving correctional facilities about the medical assistance program and how to maintain their coverage, and mandates that correctional facilities keep enrollment documents with the incarcerated individual's records until their release, at which point they should be provided to the individual. The bill also includes provisions for reporting on the medical insurance enrollment status of individuals in correctional facilities and requires the Commissioner of Health to take steps to secure federal funding for these provisions.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S614