Bill > LB1032

This bill, titled the Transitional Health Insurance Program Act, establishes a new program aimed at improving health coverage for uninsured individuals in Nebraska by utilizing the private health insurance market and encouraging personal responsibility. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is tasked with implementing this program, which includes creating three main components: the Transitional Health Insurance Premium Assistance Program for those without access to cost-effective employer-sponsored insurance, the Employee Health Insurance Program to help individuals with access to employer insurance, and the Innovation Health Improvement Program under Medicaid for medically frail or otherwise exempt individuals. The bill defines key terms like "cost-effective employer-sponsored insurance" (where the employer pays at least 50% of the employee's premium), "newly eligible individual" (adults aged 19-64 with low incomes who qualify for expanded Medicaid under federal law), and "medically frail" (individuals with serious mental or physical health conditions). The DHHS will seek federal waivers to implement these programs, which will cover premiums, copayments, and deductibles for qualified health plans, or provide assistance for employer-sponsored plans, and offer wrap-around benefits not covered by private insurance. The program emphasizes personal responsibility, with some individuals contributing a percentage of their income, and includes provisions for employment and education programs to help participants transition to self-sufficiency. The DHHS will also collect data to evaluate the program's effectiveness in increasing employment, earnings, and health coverage, and reducing reliance on public assistance. A dedicated fund, the Transitional Health Insurance Program Fund, will be established to support the program's state share of costs. The bill also includes a provision for automatic termination of coverage if federal funding for newly eligible enrollees drops below 90%.