Senate Bill 483- Medi-Cal Eligibiliy Bill - May 2008
- Senate Bill 483 Medi-Cal Eligibility Bill Amended
- Implements Deficit Reduction Act
- Likely to be referred to Health Committee
Major Impact To Rights of Seniors, People With Disabilities, And Others On Medi-Cal
SACRAMENTO (CDCAN) - A little known piece of legislation that will have major impact on Medi-Cal eligibility that will impact the rights of hundreds of thousands of seniors and people with disabilities, SB 483 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl(Democrat - Santa Monica) was amended today (May 5) with major changes inserted into the bill that will implement key provisions of the federal 2005 "Deficit Reduction Act".
The new version of SB 483 will be available soon (copy will be uploaded to CDCAN website as soon as it is available). The bill, currently in Assembly Appropriations Committee, will likely be referred back to Assembly Health Committee due to the major changes made to the bill. A hearing on the bill as amended will be scheduled once the bill is referred back to that committee.
Amendments Proposed by Department of Health Care Services
The amendments, proposed by the Department of Health Care Services, which oversees the Medi-Cal program, were also reviewed by many stakeholder groups, including California NAELA, California Disability Community Action Network, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, Gray Panthers, Resources for Independent Living, Training Toward Self Reliance, Older Women's League, and several other groups.
Bill Originally Raised Home Exemption for Medi-Cal Eligibility
The original version of the bill simply raised from $500,000 to $750,000, the equity interest in a home that can be exempted for persons who seek eligibility for Medi-Cal long term care services. Prior to the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act passed by Congress in February 2006 and signed by President Bush, the home was totally exempt.
California Medi-Cal officials have said that state law needed to be changed in order to implement the changes in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act related to the home and other related issues. Until that happens, according to state officials, current Medi-Cal eligibility policies still apply.
Bill Impacts Hundreds of Thousands of Seniors, People With Disabilities
The changes proposed in SB 483, including the amendments, will have major impact to hundreds of thousands of seniors, people with disabilities, mental health needs and others on Medi-Cal or seeking eligibility. The bill, if it passes and is signed by the Governor - which is likely, will go into effect January 1, 2009. However, many of the actual provisions will require regulations to be proposed and adopted - a process that could take several years.
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