2002 Legislation
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SENATE BILL NO. 1472 – Medical asst, 3rd party, disclosure

SENATE BILL NO. 1472

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Daily Data Tracking History



S1472aa,aa...........................................by JUDICIARY AND RULES
MEDICAL ASSISTANCE - Amends existing law relating to medical assistance to
require disclosure of a claim for medical expenses against a third party or
entity; to provide the Department of Health and Welfare's entitlement to
such reimbursement when medical assistance has been paid; and to provide
reference to material omissions.
                                                                        
02/25    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/26    Rpt prt - to Health/Wel
03/01    Rpt out - to 14th Ord
03/04    Rpt out amen - to engros
03/05    Rpt engros - 1st rdg - to 2nd rdg as amen
03/06    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg as amen
03/07    To 14th Ord
03/11    Rpt out amen - to engros
03/12    Rpt engros - 1st rdg - to 2nd rdg as amen
    Rls susp - PASSED - 34-0-1
      AYES -- Andreason, Boatright, Branch(Bartlett), Brandt, Bunderson,
      Burtenshaw, Cameron, Darrington, Davis, Deide, Dunklin, Frasure,
      Geddes, Goedde, Hawkins, Hill, Ingram, Ipsen, Keough, Little, Lodge,
      Marley, Noh, Richardson, Risch, Sandy, Schroeder, Sims, Sorensen,
      Stegner, Stennett, Thorne, Wheeler, Williams
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- King-Barrutia
    Floor Sponsor - Ipsen
    Title apvd - to House
03/13    House intro - 1st rdg - to Health/Wel
03/15    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
    Rls susp - PASSED - 64-0-6
      AYES -- Barraclough, Barrett, Bedke, Bell, Bieter, Black, Block, Boe,
      Bolz, Bruneel, Callister, Campbell, Clark, Collins, Crow, Cuddy,
      Deal, Denney, Ellis, Ellsworth, Eskridge, Field(13), Field(20),
      Gagner, Gould, Hadley, Hammond, Harwood, Henbest, Higgins, Hornbeck,
      Jaquet, Jones, Kellogg, Kendell, Kunz, Lake, Langford, Loertscher,
      Mader, Martinez, Meyer, Montgomery, Moyle, Pearce, Pischner, Pomeroy,
      Raybould, Ridinger, Roberts, Robison, Sali, Schaefer, Sellman,
      Shepherd, Smith(33), Smith(23), Smylie, Stevenson, Stone, Trail,
      Wood, Young, Mr. Speaker
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- Aikele, Bradford, McKague, Mortensen, Tilman,
      Wheeler
    Floor Sponsors - Ellis & Sali
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/15    To enrol
03/18    Rpt enrol - Pres signed - Sp signed
03/18    To Governor
03/27    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 369
         Effective: 07/01/02

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-sixth Legislature                  Second Regular Session - 2002
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                       IN THE SENATE
                                                                        
                                    SENATE BILL NO. 1472
                                                                        
                              BY JUDICIARY AND RULES COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE;  AMENDING  SECTION  56-209b,  IDAHO  CODE,  TO
  3        REQUIRE  DISCLOSURE OF A CLAIM AGAINST A THIRD PARTY OR ENTITY AND TO PRO-
  4        VIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE'S ENTITLEMENT TO SUCH REIMBURSE-
  5        MENT AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS; AND AMENDING SECTION 56-227, IDAHO
  6        CODE, TO PROVIDE PENALTIES AND TO MAKE A TECHNICAL CORRECTION.
                                                                        
  7    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  8        SECTION 1.  That Section 56-209b, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
  9    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 10        56-209b.  MEDICAL  ASSISTANCE  --  MEDICAL ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT. (1) Medical
 11    assistance shall be awarded to persons as mandated by federal law; and medical
 12    assistance may be awarded to such other persons not  required  to  be  awarded
 13    medical assistance as mandated by federal law when such award is to the fiscal
 14    advantage of the state of Idaho.
 15        (2)  There  is hereby created in the dedicated fund the medical assistance
 16    account. The medical assistance account shall be an entity primarily  designed
 17    to  receive moneys from the families and relatives of patients receiving medi-
 18    cal assistance under the state plan for medicaid, and to provide a  source  of
 19    moneys  to pay for the state's share of medical assistance expenses. Moneys in
 20    the medical assistance account may not be commingled with moneys in the  coop-
 21    erative  welfare  account.  Moneys  in  the medical assistance account must be
 22    appropriated in order to be expended to pay for the state's share  of  medical
 23    assistance expenses.
 24        (3)  In  all  cases where the department of health and welfare through the
 25    medical assistance program has or will be required to pay medical expenses for
 26    a recipient and that recipient is entitled to recover any or all such  medical
 27    expenses  from any third party or entity, the department of health and welfare
 28    will be subrogated to the rights of the recipient to the extent of the  amount
 29    of  medical  assistance  benefits  paid by the department as the result of the
 30    occurrence giving rise to the claim against the third party or entity.
 31        (4)  If a recipient of medical assistance pursues a claim against a  third
 32    party  or  entity  through  litigation  or a settlement, the recipient will so
 33    notify the department. If a recipient fails to notify the department  of  such
 34    claim, the department may recover the amount of any public assistance obtained
 35    by  the recipient while the recipient pursued such claim. In addition, iIf the
 36    recipient recovers funds, either by settlement or judgment, from such a  third
 37    party or entity, the recipient shall reimburse the department to the extent of
 38    the  funds  received in settlement minus attorney's fees and costs, the amount
 39    of the medical assistance benefits paid by the department on his behalf  as  a
 40    result  of  the occurrence giving rise to the need for medical assistance. The
 41    department shall be entitled to all the legal rights and powers of a  creditor
 42    against a debtor in enforcing the recipient's reimbursement obligation.
 43        (5)  The  department  shall  have  priority  to any amount received from a
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    third party or entity which can reasonably  be  construed  to  compensate  the
  2    recipient  for  the occurrence giving rise to the need for medical assistance,
  3    whether the settlement or judgment is obtained through the  subrogation  right
  4    of the department or through recovery by the recipient, and whether or not the
  5    recipient  is made whole by the amount recovered. The department will be enti-
  6    tled to reimbursement of medical assistance benefits paid  on  behalf  of  the
  7    recipient    arising from the incident or occurrence prior to any amount being
  8    distributed to the recipient. The department may notify such  third  party  or
  9    entity  of  the department's entitlement to receive the reimbursement prior to
 10    any amount being distributed to the recipient. Furthermore, the department may
 11    instruct the third party or entity  to  make  such  payment  directly  to  the
 12    department  prior  to any amount being distributed to the recipient. Any third
 13    party or entity who distributed funds in violation of such a notice  shall  be
 14    liable to the department for the amount of the reimbursement.
 15        (6)  In the event a recipient of assistance through the medical assistance
 16    program incurs the obligation to pay attorney's fees and costs for the purpose
 17    of  enforcing  a monetary claim to which the department has a right under this
 18    section, the amount which the department is entitled to recover, or any lesser
 19    amount which the department may agree to accept in compromise  of  its  claim,
 20    shall  be  reduced  by  an  amount  which bears the same relation to the total
 21    amount of attorney's fees and costs actually paid  by  the  recipient  as  the
 22    amount  actually recovered for medical expenses paid by the department, exclu-
 23    sive of the reduction for attorney's fees and costs, bears to the total amount
 24    paid by the third party or entity to the recipient. If a settlement  or  judg-
 25    ment is received by the recipient without delineating what portion of the set-
 26    tlement  or  judgment  is  in payment of medical expenses, it will be presumed
 27    that the settlement or judgment applies first to the medical expenses incurred
 28    by the recipient  in an amount equal to the expenditure for medical assistance
 29    benefits paid by the department as a result of the occurrence giving  rise  to
 30    the payment or payments to the recipient.
                                                                        
 31        SECTION  2.  That  Section  56-227, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 32    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 33        56-227.  FRAUDULENT ACTS -- PENALTY. (a) Whoever knowingly  and  willfully
 34    makes  a  false statement or material omission, or conceals or fails to report
 35    his income or resources as required by section 56-209b(4), 56-215  or  56-224,
 36    Idaho Code, or otherwise employs fraudulent devices to obtains, or attempts to
 37    obtain, or aids or abets any person in obtaining, by means of a wilfully will-
 38    fully  false  statement or representation, or other fraudulent devices, public
 39    assistance, relief or federal-aid assistance to which he is not  entitled,  or
 40    in  an  amount greater than that to which he is justly entitled, shall be pun-
 41    ished in the same manner and to the same extent as for larceny or theft of the
 42    money or value of the public assistance so obtained  or  attempted  to  be  so
 43    obtained.
 44        (b)  Whoever  sells, conveys, mortgages or otherwise disposes of his prop-
 45    erty, real or personal, or conceals or fails to report his income or resources
 46    as required by section 56-209b(4), 56-215 or 56-224, Idaho Code, for the  pur-
 47    pose  of  rendering  him  eligible  for any form of assistance, theretofore or
 48    thereafter applied for, to which he would not otherwise be entitled, shall  be
 49    punished  in the same manner and to the same extent as for larceny or theft of
 50    the money or value of the  assistance  so  obtained  or  so  attempted  to  be
 51    obtained.
 52        (c)  Every  person who knowingly aids or abets any person in selling, con-
 53    veying, mortgaging or otherwise disposing of his property, real  or  personal,
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1    or  in  concealing or failing to report his income or resources as required by
  2    section 56-209b(4), 56-215 or 56-224, Idaho Code, for the purpose of rendering
  3    him eligible for any form of  public  assistance  or  relief,  theretofore  or
  4    thereafter  applied for and received, to which he would not otherwise be enti-
  5    tled, shall be punished in the same manner and to the same extent as for  lar-
  6    ceny  or  theft  of  the  money or value of the public assistance or relief so
  7    obtained or attempted to be obtained.
  8        (d)  For the purpose of this section federal-aid assistance shall include
  9    the specific categories of assistance for which provision is made in any  fed-
 10    eral law existing or hereafter enacted by the congress of the United States by
 11    which  payments are made from the federal government to the state in aid or in
 12    respect to payment by the state for welfare purposes to any category of  needy
 13    person  and  any  other  program of assistance for which provision for federal
 14    funds for aid may from time to time be made.
 15        (e)  The state department of health and welfare shall establish and  oper-
 16    ate a fraud control program as permitted by section 416 of the social security
 17    act as now or hereafter amended.

Amendment


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-sixth Legislature                  Second Regular Session - 2002
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                     Moved by    Ipsen               
                                                                        
                                                     Seconded by Lodge               
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                       IN THE SENATE
                       SENATE AMENDMENT TO S.B. NO. 1472, As Amended
                                                                        
                                                                        
  1                               AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 2
  2        On page 2 of the engrossed bill, in line 33,  delete "and  willfully"  and
  3    delete lines 34, 35 and 36, and insert: "obtains, or attempts to"; in line 37,
  4    delete  "aids  or  abets"  and insert: "aids or abets"; in line 45, delete "or
  5    fails to report"; and in line 46, delete "as required by  section  56-209b(4),
  6    56-215  or  56-224,  Idaho  Code"; on page 3, in line 1, delete "or failing to
  7    report" and also in line 1, delete "as required by"; and  in  line  2,  delete
  8    "section 56-209b(4), 56-215 or 56-224, Idaho Code,".
                                                                        
  9                                 CORRECTION TO TITLE
 10        On  page  1, in line 6, delete "PENALTIES" and insert: "REFERENCE TO MATE-
 11    RIAL OMISSIONS".

Engrossed Bill (Original Bill with Amendment(s) Incorporated)


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-sixth Legislature                  Second Regular Session - 2002
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                       IN THE SENATE
                                                                        
                        SENATE BILL NO. 1472, As Amended, As Amended
                                                                        
                              BY JUDICIARY AND RULES COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE;  AMENDING  SECTION  56-209b,  IDAHO  CODE,  TO
  3        REQUIRE  DISCLOSURE OF A CLAIM AGAINST A THIRD PARTY OR ENTITY AND TO PRO-
  4        VIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE'S ENTITLEMENT TO SUCH REIMBURSE-
  5        MENT AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS; AND AMENDING SECTION 56-227, IDAHO
  6        CODE, TO PROVIDE REFERENCE TO MATERIAL OMISSIONS AND TO MAKE  A  TECHNICAL
  7        CORRECTION.
                                                                        
  8    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  9        SECTION  1.  That  Section 56-209b, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 10    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 11        56-209b.  MEDICAL ASSISTANCE -- MEDICAL ASSISTANCE  ACCOUNT.  (1)  Medical
 12    assistance shall be awarded to persons as mandated by federal law; and medical
 13    assistance  may  be  awarded  to such other persons not required to be awarded
 14    medical assistance as mandated by federal law when such award is to the fiscal
 15    advantage of the state of Idaho.
 16        (2)  There is hereby created in the dedicated fund the medical  assistance
 17    account.  The medical assistance account shall be an entity primarily designed
 18    to receive moneys from the families and relatives of patients receiving  medi-
 19    cal  assistance  under the state plan for medicaid, and to provide a source of
 20    moneys to pay for the state's share of medical assistance expenses. Moneys  in
 21    the  medical assistance account may not be commingled with moneys in the coop-
 22    erative welfare account. Moneys in the  medical  assistance  account  must  be
 23    appropriated  in  order to be expended to pay for the state's share of medical
 24    assistance expenses.
 25        (3)  In all cases where the department of health and welfare  through  the
 26    medical assistance program has or will be required to pay medical expenses for
 27    a  recipient and that recipient is entitled to recover any or all such medical
 28    expenses from any third party or entity, the department of health and  welfare
 29    will  be subrogated to the rights of the recipient to the extent of the amount
 30    of medical assistance benefits paid by the department as  the  result  of  the
 31    occurrence giving rise to the claim against the third party or entity.
 32        (4)  If  a recipient of medical assistance pursues a claim against a third
 33    party or entity through litigation or a  settlement,  the  recipient  will  so
 34    notify  the  department. If a recipient fails to notify the department of such
 35    claim, the department may recover the amount of any public assistance obtained
 36    by the recipient while the recipient pursued such claim. In addition, iIf  the
 37    recipient  recovers funds, either by settlement or judgment, from such a third
 38    party or entity, the recipient shall reimburse the department to the extent of
 39    the funds received in settlement minus attorney's fees and costs,  the  amount
 40    of  the  medical assistance benefits paid by the department on his behalf as a
 41    result of the occurrence giving rise to the need for medical  assistance.  The
 42    department  shall be entitled to all the legal rights and powers of a creditor
 43    against a debtor in enforcing the recipient's reimbursement obligation.
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1        (5)  The department shall have priority to  any  amount  received  from  a
  2    third  party  or  entity  which  can reasonably be construed to compensate the
  3    recipient for the occurrence giving rise to the need for  medical  assistance,
  4    whether  the  settlement or judgment is obtained through the subrogation right
  5    of the department or through recovery by the recipient, and whether or not the
  6    recipient is made whole by the amount recovered. The department will be  enti-
  7    tled  to  reimbursement  of  medical assistance benefits paid on behalf of the
  8    recipient  arising from the incident or occurrence prior to any  amount  being
  9    distributed  to  the  recipient. The department may notify such third party or
 10    entity of the department's entitlement to receive the reimbursement  prior  to
 11    any amount being distributed to the recipient. Furthermore, the department may
 12    instruct  the  third  party  or  entity  to  make such payment directly to the
 13    department prior to any amount being distributed to the recipient.  Any  third
 14    party  or  entity who distributed funds in violation of such a notice shall be
 15    liable to the department for the amount of the reimbursement.
 16        (6)  In the event a recipient of assistance through the medical assistance
 17    program incurs the obligation to pay attorney's fees and costs for the purpose
 18    of enforcing a monetary claim to which the department has a right  under  this
 19    section, the amount which the department is entitled to recover, or any lesser
 20    amount  which  the  department may agree to accept in compromise of its claim,
 21    shall be reduced by an amount which bears  the  same  relation  to  the  total
 22    amount  of  attorney's  fees  and  costs actually paid by the recipient as the
 23    amount actually recovered for medical expenses paid by the department,  exclu-
 24    sive of the reduction for attorney's fees and costs, bears to the total amount
 25    paid  by  the third party or entity to the recipient. If a settlement or judg-
 26    ment is received by the recipient without delineating what portion of the set-
 27    tlement or judgment is in payment of medical expenses,  it  will  be  presumed
 28    that the settlement or judgment applies first to the medical expenses incurred
 29    by the recipient  in an amount equal to the expenditure for medical assistance
 30    benefits  paid  by the department as a result of the occurrence giving rise to
 31    the payment or payments to the recipient.
                                                                        
 32        SECTION 2.  That Section 56-227, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
 33    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 34        56-227.  FRAUDULENT  ACTS  --  PENALTY.  (a) Whoever knowingly obtains, or
 35    attempts to obtain, or aids or abets any person in obtaining, by  means  of  a
 36    wilfully  willfully  false  statement or representation, material omission, or
 37    other fraudulent devices, public assistance, relief or federal-aid  assistance
 38    to  which he is not entitled, or in an amount greater than that to which he is
 39    justly entitled, shall be punished in the same manner and to the  same  extent
 40    as  for  larceny  or  theft  of the money or value of the public assistance so
 41    obtained or attempted to be so obtained.
 42        (b)  Whoever sells, conveys, mortgages or otherwise disposes of his  prop-
 43    erty,  real  or personal, or conceals his income or resources, for the purpose
 44    of rendering him eligible for any form of assistance, theretofore or  thereaf-
 45    ter  applied  for,  to which he would not otherwise be entitled, shall be pun-
 46    ished in the same manner and to the same extent as for larceny or theft of the
 47    money or value of the assistance so obtained or so attempted to be obtained.
 48        (c)  Every person who knowingly aids or abets any person in selling,  con-
 49    veying,  mortgaging  or otherwise disposing of his property, real or personal,
 50    or in concealing his income or resources  for the  purpose  of  rendering  him
 51    eligible  for any form of public assistance or relief, theretofore or thereaf-
 52    ter applied for and received, to which he would  not  otherwise  be  entitled,
 53    shall  be punished in the same manner and to the same extent as for larceny or
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1    theft of the money or value of the public assistance or relief so obtained  or
  2    attempted to be obtained.
  3        (d)  For  the purpose of this section federal-aid assistance shall include
  4    the specific categories of assistance for which provision is made in any  fed-
  5    eral law existing or hereafter enacted by the congress of the United States by
  6    which  payments are made from the federal government to the state in aid or in
  7    respect to payment by the state for welfare purposes to any category of  needy
  8    person  and  any  other  program of assistance for which provision for federal
  9    funds for aid may from time to time be made.
 10        (e)  The state department of health and welfare shall establish and  oper-
 11    ate a fraud control program as permitted by section 416 of the social security
 12    act as now or hereafter amended.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                     STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
                               
                           RS 12132
                               
Passage of this legislation will require third parties to make 
payment to the Department of Health and Welfare to reimburse the 
state for any public assistance provided by the state prior to 
litigation judgment or settlements payable to the recipient. Any 
third party that fails to make this payment to the Department of 
Health and Welfare shall be liable for the amount. It requires 
Medicaid recipients to report income to the Department of Health 
and Welfare and imposes a penalty for those who fail to do so.



                       Fiscal Impact
                   


There are no costs connected with this proposed legislation. 
Enactment of this provision will help the state to recover public 
assistance payment and prevent relatively wealthy individuals from 
remaining on the Medicaid program.

Contact
Name:  Robert Vande Merwe, 
       Idaho Health Care Association
       Phone: 343-9735
     

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                S 1472