Section 12693.98 Of Chapter 16.1. Healthy Families Bridge Benefits Program From California Insurance Code >> Division 2. >> Part 6.2. >> Chapter 16.1.
12693.98
. (a) (1) The Medi-Cal-to-Healthy Families Bridge Benefits
Program is hereby established to provide any child who meets the
criteria set forth in subdivision (b) with a one calendar-month
period of health care benefits in order to provide the child with an
opportunity to apply for the Healthy Families Program established
under Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 12693).
(2) The Medi-Cal-to-Healthy Families Bridge Benefits Program shall
be administered by the board and the State Department of Health Care
Services.
(b) (1) Any child who meets all of the following requirements
shall be eligible for one calendar month of Healthy Families benefits
funded by Title XXI of the Social Security Act, known as the State
Children's Health Insurance Program:
(A) He or she has been receiving, but is no longer eligible for,
full-scope Medi-Cal benefits without a share of cost.
(B) He or she is eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits with a
share of cost.
(C) He or she is under 19 years of age at the time he or she is no
longer eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits without a share of
cost.
(D) He or she has family income at or below 200 percent of the
federal poverty level.
(E) He or she is not otherwise excluded under the definition of
"targeted low-income child" under subsections (b)(1)(B)(ii), (b)(1)
(C), and (b)(2) of Section 2110 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
Secs. 1397jj(b)(1)(B)(ii), 1397jj(b)(1)(C), and 1397jj(b)(2)).
(2) The one calendar month of benefits under this chapter shall
begin on the first day of the month following the last day of the
receipt of benefits without a share of cost.
(c) The income methodology for determining a child's family
income, as required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) shall be the
same methodology used in determining a child's eligibility for the
full scope of Medi-Cal benefits.
(d) The one calendar-month period of Healthy Families benefits
provided under this chapter shall be identical to the scope of
benefits that the child was receiving under the Medi-Cal program
without a share of cost.
(e) The one calendar-month period of Healthy Families benefits
provided under this chapter shall only be made available through a
Medi-Cal provider or under a Medi-Cal managed care arrangement or
contract.
(f) Except as provided in subdivision (j), nothing in this section
shall be construed to provide Healthy Families benefits for more
than a one calendar-month period under any circumstances, including
the failure to apply for benefits under the Healthy Families Program
or the failure to be made aware of the availability of the Healthy
Families Program, unless the circumstances described in subdivision
(b) reoccur.
(g) (1) This section shall become operative on the first day of
the second month following the effective date of this section,
subject to paragraph (2).
(2) Under no circumstances shall this section become operative
until, and shall be implemented only to the extent that, all
necessary federal approvals, including approval of any amendments to
the State Child Health Plan have been sought and obtained and federal
financial participation under the federal State Children's Health
Insurance Program, as set forth in Title XXI of the Social Security
Act, has been approved.
(h) This section shall become inoperative if an unappealable court
decision or judgment determines that any of the following apply:
(1) The provisions of this section are unconstitutional under the
United States Constitution or the California Constitution.
(2) The provisions of this section do not comply with the State
Children's Health Insurance Program, as set forth in Title XXI of the
Social Security Act.
(3) The provisions of this section require that the health care
benefits provided pursuant to this section are required to be
furnished for more than two calendar months.
(i) If the State Child Health Insurance Program waiver described
in Section 12693.755 is approved, and at the time the waiver is
implemented, the benefits described in this section shall also be
available to persons who meet the eligibility requirements of the
program and are parents of, or, as defined by the board, adults
responsible for, children enrolled to receive coverage under this
part or enrolled to receive full-scope Medi-Cal services with no
share of cost.
(j) The one month of benefits provided in this section shall be
increased to two months commencing on implementation of the waiver
referred to in Section 12693.755.
(k) This section shall cease to be implemented on the date that
the Director of Health Care Services executes a declaration stating
that implementation of the Healthy Families Presumptive Eligibility
Program established pursuant to Section 12693.98a has commenced, and
as of that date is repealed.