(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.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 483, Sec. 39. Effective January 1, 2008. Section operative as prescribed in subd. (g). Conditionally inoperative as provided in subd. (h). Repealed as of date prescribed in subd. (k). Note: Operational conditions in subd. (g) originated in the addition by Stats. 1998, Ch. 310.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018