Outside Section 33

Commonwealth Care Bridge Program Reauthorization

SECTION 33.   (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary and except as provided in subsection (b), an eligible individual pursuant to section 3 of chapter 118H of the General Laws shall not include a person who is not eligible to receive federally-funded benefits under sections 401, 402 or 403 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-193, as amended, for fiscal year 2012.

(b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the secretary of administration and finance, the secretary of health and human services and the executive director of the commonwealth health insurance connector authority may, in their discretion and subject only to the terms and conditions in this subsection, establish or designate a health insurance plan in which a person who is not eligible to receive federally-funded benefits under said sections 401, 402 or 403 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Public Law 104-193, as amended, but who is an eligible individual pursuant to said section 3 of said chapter 118H may enroll for the period including July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, inclusive. The plan may be contracted for selectively from the health plans that contracted in fiscal year 2011 to provide insurance coverage to commonwealth care or MassHealth enrollees. Total state costs of providing coverage to all such persons, net of enrollee contributions and any federal financial participation, shall not exceed $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. To the extent that additional federal financial participation becomes available for paying the costs of such coverage, the secretary of administration and finance may direct the comptroller to make such amounts available from the General Fund for the purpose of paying for the costs of such coverage. If the secretary of administration and finance, the secretary of health and human services and the executive director of the commonwealth health insurance connector authority determine that the projected costs of enrolling eligible individuals in such coverage in fiscal year 2012 will exceed net state costs of $50,000,000, they may limit enrollment in such coverage. If the secretary of administration and finance, the secretary of health and human services and the executive director of the commonwealth health insurance connector authority are unable to establish or designate a health insurance plan under this section, the secretary of administration and finance may direct the comptroller to transfer up to $50,000,000 from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund for the cost of health safety net claims for these individuals.
 
 

Summary:
This section reauthorizes the Commonwealth Care Bridge Program to provide health care for certain legal immigrants during fiscal year 2012, at a maximum cost of $50 million.