Bill > HF2716

This bill proposes several changes to public assistance programs, primarily focusing on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid). For SNAP, it mandates quarterly reporting on payment error rates, seeks waivers to exclude the earned income of young students living with parents from household income calculations, and aims to streamline eligibility verification by using various automated data sources and allowing benefits to remain on electronic accounts for longer periods before being expunged. The bill also proposes to allow the state to report SNAP payment error rates based only on errors directly attributable to the state. Regarding Medicaid, it expands eligibility for individuals with disabilities by increasing the income threshold and disregarding more types of resources, including a spouse's earned income and certain retirement or savings accounts, and it introduces a new provision for increased reimbursement rates for providers serving consumers in rural areas under home and community-based service waivers, while also requiring cost-neutrality analysis for future Medicaid waivers. Additionally, the bill establishes new reporting requirements for Medicaid exceptions to policy and payment error rates, restricts participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to citizens and qualified aliens, and modifies cost-sharing and fees for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, including a new fee for missed appointments and increased copayments for certain services, while also allowing for reenrollment in the plan after termination for nonpayment under specific conditions. Finally, the bill mandates reports on public assistance fraud and fraud within the WIC program, and establishes a work group to examine the needs of high-acuity pediatric Medicaid recipients and develop a proposal for a tiered reimbursement methodology for home health services.

Health and Social Services

Health And Human Services (House)

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2716