SB 17-121

Senate Bill 17-121, which has been signed into law, aims to improve how the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing communicates with Medicaid clients. The bill requires clearer and more understandable letters and notices about eligibility issues or benefit changes, ensuring that clients can easily understand what actions they need to take. It also mandates that certain notices include plain language explanations for any denial, reduction, suspension, or termination of benefits and specify the missing information needed from the client. Additionally, the department must prioritize improving communications for vulnerable groups like people with disabilities and seniors. This law will help Medicaid clients better understand their situation and what steps they need to take when dealing with changes in their benefits.

Official Summary

Interim Study Committee on Communication Between the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and Medicaid Clients. The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to engage in an ongoing process to improve medicaid client communications, including client letters and notices, that concern eligibility for or the denial, reduction, suspension, or termination of a benefit. Among other requirements included in the bill, the department shall ensure that client communications are accurate, readable, and understandable, clearly conveying the purpose of the letter or notice and the specific action or actions that the client must take in response to the letter or notice. The bill requires the department to include in certain notices a specific and plain language explanation of the basis for the denial, reduction, suspension, or termination of a benefit; and a description of necessary information or documents that the client has not provided. If sufficient state and federal appropriations are available, on and after July 1, 2018, the department shall make available electronically a client's information concerning household composition, assets, and income sources and amounts, if relevant to the determination for which the client correspondence was issued. The department may test new or significantly revised client communications against the requirements included in the bill with a representative sample of medicaid clients, advocacy organizations, and counties prior to implementing the client communications. The department shall also develop a process to consider feedback from stakeholders and counties prior to implementing significant changes to correspondence. The department shall also ensure that letters and notices affecting clients with disabilities, seniors, and other vulnerable populations are appropriately prioritized for improvement consistent with the requirements in the bill. The department shall receive feedback from the workgroup established to provide customer and community partner feedback regarding client communications as part of the department's involvement in state-level decision-making relating to computer system changes and training. The department shall provide information concerning medicaid client communications improvements as part of its annual presentation to its legislative committee of reference. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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