A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO DIRECT THE Department of Health and Human Services TO ADOPT A POLICY ALLOWING A CERTAIN INCOME DISREGARD UNDER THE MEDICAID PROGRAM.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance, shall adopt and implement a policy that will prevent a Medicaid recipient from immediately losing Medicaid eligibility due solely to an increase in the recipient's income resulting from cost‑of‑living adjustments to social security or supplemental security payments.  The policy shall provide that if a Medicaid recipient's income increases due to a cost‑of‑living adjustment to social security or supplemental security payments, the recipient will not be made ineligible for Medicaid on that basis until after adjustments are made to the federal poverty level for that same year.  If the recipient's income meets the adjusted federal poverty guidelines, then the cost‑of‑living adjustment to social security or supplemental security payments shall be disregarded when determining the recipient's income for Medicaid eligibility.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2007.