Disaster Relief Medicaid Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide medical assistance to relief-eligible survivors of disasters during a 2-year relief coverage period, with simplified, establishes new Section 1949 of the Social Security Act defining disaster relief Medicaid eligibility, application processes, scope of coverage, 100% federal funding, fraud penalties, and error rate exemptions for, and directs HHS to issue best practices guidance for states on post-disaster Medicaid provider approval and out-of-state providers, provide technical assistance, and award grants to up to 5 states for HCBS Emergency. It relies on eligibility expansion, mandate, federal funding, and reporting requirements. The main policy areas are Healthcare.
Who Benefits and How
State governments in disaster areas could see lower costs, Disaster survivors below 133-200% poverty line could see lower costs, and Disaster survivors and evacuees could see lower costs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal government could face higher costs and State legislatures would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide medical assistance to relief-eligible survivors of disasters during a 2-year relief coverage period, with simplified...
- Establishes new Section 1949 of the Social Security Act defining disaster relief Medicaid eligibility, application processes, scope of coverage, 100% federal funding, fraud penalties, and error rate exemptions for...
- Directs HHS to issue best practices guidance for states on post-disaster Medicaid provider approval and out-of-state providers, provide technical assistance, and award grants to up to 5 states for HCBS Emergency...
- Amends Section 1905 of the Social Security Act to provide 100% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage for all Medicaid and CHIP expenditures for individuals residing in direct impact areas during the relief coverage...
- Amends Section 1135 of the Social Security Act to extend emergency area designation to geographical areas with significant numbers of evacuees, expanding waiver authority for healthcare requirements.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide medical assistance to relief-eligible survivors of disasters during a 2-year relief coverage period, with simplified, establishes new Section 1949 of the Social Security Act defining disaster relief Medicaid eligibility, application processes, scope of coverage, 100% federal funding, fraud penalties, and error rate exemptions for, and directs HHS to issue best practices guidance for states on post-disaster Medicaid provider approval and out-of-state providers, provide technical assistance, and award grants to up to 5 states for HCBS Emergency.
Key Policy Areas
Healthcare
Primary Purpose
The bill amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide medical assistance to relief-eligible survivors of disasters during a 2-year relief coverage period, with simplified, establishes new Section 1949 of the Social Security Act defining disaster relief Medicaid eligibility, application processes, scope of coverage, 100% federal funding, fraud penalties, and error rate exemptions for, and directs HHS to issue best practices guidance for states on post-disaster Medicaid provider approval and out-of-state providers, provide technical assistance, and award grants to up to 5 states for HCBS Emergency.
Policy Domains
Section 2 — Medicaid Relief for Disaster Survivors
Identified Gains
- State governments in disaster areas
- Disaster survivors below 133-200% poverty line
- Disaster survivors and evacuees
- Disaster survivors eligible for Medicare Part B
- Disaster evacuees in receiving communities
Identified Costs
- Federal government
- State legislatures
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mrs. Gillibrand, …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal government, State Medicaid agencies, State Medicaid programs
Positive-direction: State Medicaid programs, State governments in disaster areas, U.S. territories
Negative-direction: Federal government, State legislatures
All Medicaid/CHIP enrollees in direct impact areas, Disaster evacuees in receiving communities, Disaster survivors and evacuees
Healthcare providers in disaster areas, Healthcare providers in evacuee-receiving areas, Home and community-based service providers
Independent nonprofit evaluation entities, Nonprofit service providers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A major disaster declared by the President under the Stafford Act, a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act, or a public health emergency declared by the HHS Secretary.
The geographic area in which the disaster exists, as posted by CMS and FEMA.
The period from the date the disaster is declared through 2 years after that date.
A disaster survivor whose family income does not exceed the higher of 133% (200% for pregnant, children, disabled) of the poverty line or the applicable State Medicaid income standard.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology