Florida Senate - 2024 SB 140



By Senator Berman





26-00188-24 2024140__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to Medicaid eligibility for young
3 adults; providing legislative findings; requiring the
4 Agency for Health Care Administration, in consultation
5 with the Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use
6 Disorder, to conduct a study for a specified purpose;
7 providing requirements for the study; providing the
8 duties of the agency upon completion of the study;
9 requiring the agency to submit a report of its
10 findings and recommendations to the Governor and the
11 Legislature by a specified date; providing an
12 effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. (1) The Legislature recognizes that there exists
17 a health insurance coverage gap affecting certain young adults
18 18 to 26 years of age who are unable to receive coverage for
19 behavioral health services and primary and preventative care
20 through a parent and are also unable to personally obtain health
21 insurance through an employer or through Medicaid due to the
22 program’s income eligibility criteria. The Legislature also
23 finds that young adults would benefit from increased access to
24 behavioral health services as well as primary and preventative
25 care, promoting better long-term physical and mental health
26 outcomes.
27 (2) The Agency for Health Care Administration, in
28 consultation with the Commission on Mental Health and Substance
29 Use Disorder created under s. 394.9086, Florida Statutes, shall
30 conduct a study to assess the potential impacts of adjusting the
31 Medicaid income eligibility criteria to extend coverage to young
32 adults 18 to 26 years of age who are affected by the health
33 insurance coverage gap because they are unable to receive
34 coverage through a parent and are also unable to personally
35 obtain health insurance coverage through an employer or through
36 Medicaid due to the program’s income eligibility criteria. In
37 its study, the agency, at a minimum, shall do all of the
38 following:
39 (a) Identify the estimated average number of young adults
40 who are affected by the health insurance coverage gap each year.
41 The agency shall use any relevant data available from the
42 preceding 5 years and shall conduct additional assessment
43 surveys, as needed, in developing the estimate.
44 (b) Estimate the additional costs to the Medicaid program
45 as a result of extending coverage for behavioral health services
46 and primary and preventative care to such young adults,
47 identifying any factors that may offset such costs.
48 (c) To the extent possible, determine the behavioral health
49 needs of such young adults which go unaddressed as a result of
50 not having health insurance coverage.
51 (d) To the extent possible, identify any correlation
52 between unaddressed behavioral and physical health needs of
53 young adults affected by the health insurance coverage gap and
54 their use of urgent care and emergency room services when
55 compared to peers who have health insurance coverage.
56 (3) Based on the findings in the study, the agency shall:
57 (a) Identify the extent of the behavioral and physical
58 health needs of young adults 18 to 26 years of age in this state
59 who are affected by the health insurance coverage gap.
60 (b) Identify evidence-based interventions that will address
61 the specific needs of such young adults and increase access to
62 behavioral health care and primary and preventative care,
63 including, but not limited to, any pilot programs that may be
64 implemented in this state.
65 (c) Develop a strategic, data-driven approach to addressing
66 behavioral health care access and costs for targeted at-risk
67 populations that will benefit from early intervention.
68 (d) Make recommendations as to whether the Medicaid program
69 can sustain an expansion of income eligibility criteria for such
70 young adults and, if so, the changes that should be made to the
71 income eligibility criteria.
72 (e) Identify any legislative barriers to implementing the
73 agency’s recommendations.
74 (4) The agency shall submit a report of its findings and
75 recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
76 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1,
77 2025.
78 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.