Menu
2011 Session

Budget Amendments - HB1500 (Member Request)

View Budget Item
View Budget Item amendments

Chief Patron: Brink
Extend Medicaid Coverage to Legal Immigrant Pregnant Women

Item 297 #27h

Item 297 #27h

First Year - FY2011 Second Year - FY2012
Health And Human Resources
Medical Assistance Services, Department of FY2011 $0 FY2012 $391,353 GF
FY2011 $0 FY2012 $391,353 NGF

Language
Page 249, line 7, strike "$7,244,217,237" and insert "$7,244,999,943".
Page 268, after line 55, insert:
"YYYY.  The Department of Medical Assistance Services shall amend the State Plan for Medical Assistance to include coverage of qualified aliens, as defined in  § USC 1641, who arrived in the United States on or after August 22, 1996 and have lived in the United States for five years.  The Department shall have the authority to promulgate emergency regulations to implement this change effective July 1, 2011."


Explanation
(This amendment provides $9.2 million from the general fund and $9.2 million from federal Medicaid matching funds to provide coverage to legal immigrants who have lived in the United States for five years. Most legal immigrants are barred from receiving Medicaid for the first five years they are legally present in the United States. This amendment would exercise a federal option to enroll legal immigrants in Medicaid after the 5-year bar without applying additional restrictions. Virginia is currently one of nine states that restrict a legal immigrant's eligibility for Medicaid, even after the 5-year bar, requiring the equivalent of 10 years of employment or a connection to the military in order to be eligible for Medicaid. Because Medicaid already covers expensive emergency services for this population, it would be more cost effective to offer preventive Medicaid services to avoid health emergencies. This coverage would secure at least 50 percent in federal matching Medicaid funds and offset some state-only indigent health care costs now provided by health departments, other clinics, hospitals, and Community Services Boards.)