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SB 493 (Sher):
Express Lane Eligibility through Food Stamps
Background
An estimated 1.3 million of California's 1.8
million uninsured children qualify for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families,
California's primary public health insurance programs. In addition,
under Governor Davis' proposal to extend health coverage to parents
with incomes up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), approximately
800,000 uninsured parents will become eligible for Medi-Cal and
Healthy Families.
To ensure these eligible children and their parents
enroll in coverage, the 100% Campaign (Children Now, Children's
Defense Fund and The Children's Partnership) is sponsoring SB 493
authored by Senator Byron Sher to implement an Express Lane Eligibility
model through Food Stamps. Express Lane Eligibility is a process
for linking Medi-Cal and Healthy Families to public programs with
similar income eligibility rules that have a large number of uninsured
but eligible children enrolled in them.
What the Legislation Will Do
The Food Stamp program provides food services
to households with incomes up to 130% of the FPL ($22,945 annual
income for a family of four). Since Food Stamps' income and immigration
rules are consistent with Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, the
program is an important enrollment avenue for children and their
parents into health insurance.
Currently 46,000 children are enrolled in Food Stamps
but are not receiving Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. These children's
parents and many more parents previously ineligible for health insurance
are most likely eligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families and not
enrolled.
SB 493 goes beyond standard health insurance outreach
activities by utilizing, with family consent, the information already
provided by uninsured Food Stamp enrollees to make Medi-Cal and
Healthy Families eligibility determinations. Families would not
be required to complete a Medi-Cal/Healthy Families application.
A family's consent for the county to use their information would
be acquired through the Food Stamp redetermination process, making
the Express Lane feature an integrated and efficient piece within
existing Food Stamp operations.
How Much Will It Cost?
SB 493 was crafted to coincide with Food Stamp's
redetermination process so that little additional work and expense
would be required of counties. Counties will include the limited
cost of implementing this bill in their annual food stamp administrative
budget.
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