Bill > S0488

This bill establishes new rules for determining Medicaid eligibility in Rhode Island, focusing on data sources, termination processes, and individual protections. The legislation mandates that Medicaid eligibility can only be determined using state-controlled data sources, specifically the State Wage Information Collection Agency (SWICA) data, Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) data, and other state-maintained databases. The bill explicitly prohibits the use of any private entity data in the eligibility determination process, and any termination based on private data will be considered invalid. If individuals were previously terminated using private data, they will be retroactively reinstated unless the state can verify the termination using only state data sources. Additionally, the bill requires that all Medicaid termination decisions must be made by human employees of the state's health and human services departments, with restrictions on the number of termination decisions an employee can make in a day and a ban on fully automated termination systems. The bill aims to ensure more accurate and fair Medicaid eligibility determinations by reducing reliance on potentially unreliable private data and preventing systematic errors in termination decisions.

Health and Social Services

https://status.rilegislature.gov/