July 13, 2023
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N .W. , Suite 504
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
Enclosed for consideration and enactment by the Council of the District of Columbia is the "DC
Health Care Alliance Enrollment Rulemaking Emergency Approval Act of 2023," along with an
accompanying emergency declaration resolution.
This legislation will approve proposed final rules of the Department of Health Care Finance to
implement a 12-month certification period for the DC Health Care Alliance ("Alliance")
program and require renewals to occur every 12 months. This change will remove barriers to
Alliance beneficiaries in maintaining health care coverage and create greater parity with
Medicaid eligibility requirements and processes.
If you have any questions regarding the proposed legislation, please contact Acting Chief of
Staff and Director of Health Care Policy and Research Administration, DHCF, Eugene Simms, at
(202) 427-1509.
I urge the Council to take prompt and favorable action on the legislation.
Sincerely,
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~~ at the request of the Mayor
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6 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
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10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to approve proposed
16 final rules submitted to the Council pursuant to section 7a of the Health Care
17 Privatization Amendment Act of 2001 to provide for implementation of statutory
18 changes that extend the certification period for DC Health Care Alliance program
19 eligibility.
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21 RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that
22 this resolution may be cited as the "DC Health Care Alliance Enrollment Rulemaking
23 Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2023 ".
24 Sec. 2. (a) There is an immediate need to approve proposed final rules of the
25 Department of Health Care Finance regarding the DC Health Care Alliance ("Alliance")
26 program.
27 (b) Pursuant to section 7a of the Health Care Privatization Amendment Act of
28 2001 ("Act"), effective March 30, 2004 (D .C. Law 15-109; D.C. Official Code§ 7- 1406),
29 the Council must approve, by act, proposed final rules that implement the Act, which
30 established the Health Care Safety Net Administration, which administers the Alliance
31 program.
32 (b) The Department of Health Care Finance in March 2023 issued a notice of
33 proposed rulemaking to extend the certification period for Alliance program eligibility to
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34 12 months beginning in Fiscal Year 2023, in conformity with section 7b(e) of the Act
35 (D.C. Official Code§ 7-1407(e)).
36 (d) The proposed final rules will remove barriers for Alliance beneficiaries in
37 maintaining health care coverage and create greater parity with Medicaid eligibility
38 requirements and processes.
39 (e) Approval on an emergency basis is necessary to fully implement the law
40 regarding eligibility periods and reduce barriers to establishing and continuing Alliance
41 program eligibility.
42 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia detennines that the
43 circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it
44 necessary that the Alliance Enrollment Rulemaking Emergency Approval Act of 2023 be
45 adopted after a single reading.
46 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
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