House File 211 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 211 BY ISENHART A BILL FOR An Act relating to Medicaid coverage for individuals lawfully 1 residing in the state in accordance with the compacts of 2 free association, and providing effective and applicability 3 provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1256YH (7) 89 pf/rh
H.F. 211 Section 1. MEDICAID COVERAGE —— LAWFULLY RESIDING 1 INDIVIDUALS —— COMPACTS OF FREE ASSOCIATION. Beginning 2 December 27, 2020, in accordance with division CC, Tit. II, 3 section 208, of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, 4 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260, the department of human services 5 shall provide Medicaid coverage to any individual who lawfully 6 resides in Iowa in accordance with the compacts of free 7 association between the government of the United States and 8 the governments of the Federated States of Micronesia, the 9 Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. 10 The department shall seek federal financial participation for 11 Medicaid coverage provided under this section retroactively to 12 December 27, 2020. 13 Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 14 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 15 Sec. 3. RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY. This Act applies 16 retroactively to December 27, 2020. 17 EXPLANATION 18 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 19 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 20 This bill requires the department of human services (DHS), 21 in accordance with federal law, to provide Medicaid coverage to 22 individuals lawfully residing in the state in accordance with 23 the compacts of free association (COFA) between the government 24 of the United States and the governments of the Federated 25 States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 26 and the Republic of Palau. DHS shall seek federal financial 27 participation for Medicaid coverage provided under the bill 28 retroactively to December 27, 2020. The bill takes effect upon 29 enactment and is retroactively applicable to December 27, 2020. 30 The federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 31 Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 did not include COFA 32 migrants as “qualified non-citizens” for the purposes 33 of Medicaid coverage, resulting in COFA migrants who had 34 previously been eligible for Medicaid coverage no longer being 35 -1- LSB 1256YH (7) 89 pf/rh 1/ 2
H.F. 211 eligible. The federal Children’s Health Insurance Program 1 Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 provided an option to 2 states to cover lawfully residing children under age 21 and 3 pregnant women, including COFA migrants, under the Medicaid or 4 Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The state elected 5 to provide coverage to COFA migrants under age 21. The federal 6 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, effective December 27, 7 2020, requires all states to provide full Medicaid coverage 8 to all COFA migrants who are otherwise eligible for Medicaid. 9 Additionally, the five-year limitation on benefits imposed 10 on some categories of immigrants does not apply to the COFA 11 migrants under the federal law. 12 -2- LSB 1256YH (7) 89 pf/rh 2/ 2