Florida Senate - 2023                                     SB 646
       
       
        
       By Senator Berman
       
       
       
       
       
       26-00694A-23                                           2023646__
    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
    6         Abuse, to conduct a study for a specified purpose;
    7         providing requirements for the study; providing duties
    8         for the agency based on the findings in the study;
    9         requiring the agency to submit a report of the
   10         findings and its recommendations to the Governor and
   11         the 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 for certain young adults 18 to
   18  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  Abuse created under s. 394.9086, Florida Statutes, shall conduct
   30  a study to assess the potential impacts of adjusting the
   31  Medicaid income eligibility criteria to include coverage for
   32  young adults 18 to 26 years of age who are affected by the
   33  health 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 shall, at a minimum, do all of the
   38  following:
   39         (a) Identify the estimated number of young adults who are
   40  affected by the health insurance coverage gap on average each
   41  year. The agency shall use any relevant data available from the
   42  preceding 5 years and shall conduct additional assessment
   43  surveys, as needed, to make a reasonable determination under
   44  this paragraph.
   45         (b) Estimate the additional costs to the Medicaid program
   46  as a result of expanding coverage for behavioral health services
   47  and primary and preventative care to include such young adults,
   48  identifying any factors that may offset such costs.
   49         (c) To the extent possible, determine the behavioral health
   50  needs of such young adults which go unaddressed each year as a
   51  result of not having health insurance coverage.
   52         (d) To the extent possible, identify any correlation
   53  between unaddressed behavioral and physical health needs of
   54  young adults affected by the health insurance coverage gap and
   55  their use of urgent care and emergency room services when
   56  compared to peers who have health insurance coverage.
   57         (3) Based on the findings in the study, the agency shall:
   58         (a) Assess data to ascertain the behavioral and physical
   59  health needs of young adults 18 to 26 years of age affected by
   60  the health insurance coverage gap.
   61         (b) Identify evidence-based interventions to address the
   62  specific needs of such young adults and increase access to
   63  behavioral health care and primary and preventative care,
   64  including, but not limited to, any pilot programs that may be
   65  implemented in this state.
   66         (c) Develop a strategic, data-driven approach to addressing
   67  behavioral health care access and costs for targeted at-risk
   68  populations that will benefit from early intervention.
   69         (d) Make recommendations on whether the Medicaid program
   70  can sustain an increase of income eligibility criteria for young
   71  adults 18 to 26 years of age affected by the health insurance
   72  coverage gap, and, if so, to what extent the income eligibility
   73  criteria should be increased.
   74         (e) Identify any legislative barriers to implementing the
   75  agency’s recommendations.
   76         (4) The agency shall submit a report of its findings and
   77  recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
   78  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1,
   79  2024.
   80         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.