EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).

1-1 Whereas, Many persons who are eligible for state medical assistance

1-2 programs, including, without limitation, Medicaid and the Children’s

1-3 Health Insurance Program, do not enroll in those programs; and

1-4 Whereas, When these persons require medical care they often have no

1-5 means by which to pay for such care and will wait until a medical

1-6 emergency exists before seeking medical care; and

1-7 Whereas, If persons were available to make eligibility determinations

1-8 for public assistance programs at the locations where low-income persons

1-9 receive medical care, eligible persons could be enrolled in the applicable

1-10 state medical assistance program and would have a means for seeking

1-11 medical care in the future; and

1-12 Whereas, Federal law requires the State Plan for Medicaid to provide

1-13 for persons to be available to accept and process applications for Medicaid

1-14 submitted by certain pregnant women and children at certain locations,

1-15 including, without limitation, federally-qualified health centers and

1-16 hospitals which provide services to a disproportionate share of persons

1-17 with low incomes; and

2-1 Whereas, Although the hospitals which provide services to a

2-2 disproportionate share of persons with low incomes in this state have

2-3 persons at the hospitals who can make eligibility determinations for

2-4 Medicaid, only one of the four federally-qualified health centers in this

2-5 state has a person at the center who is authorized and qualified to

2-6 determine the eligibility of persons for Medicaid; and

2-7 Whereas, The federally-qualified health centers in this state have

2-8 indicated that they are willing to work with the Department of Human

2-9 Resources so that this service may be offered at the centers but instead of

2-10 willingly working with these centers the Department of Human Resources

2-11 has required the centers to demonstrate that they have a need to have

2-12 eligibility determinations made at the centers; and

2-13 Whereas, The Nevada Legislature recognizes the need to ensure that

2-14 persons who are eligible for state medical assistance programs, especially

2-15 pregnant women and children, are enrolled in the programs so they may

2-16 receive the medical care they require; now, therefore, be it

2-17 Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the Senate

2-18 Concurring, That the Nevada Legislature hereby urges the Department

2-19 of Human Resources to comply promptly with federal law by providing for

2-20 persons to be available at federally-qualified health centers to make

2-21 determinations of whether certain pregnant women and children are

2-22 eligible for Medicaid, and to the extent feasible, to make determinations

2-23 concerning the eligibility of other persons for state medical assistance

2-24 programs; and be it further

2-25 Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and transmit

2-26 a copy of this resolution to the Director of the Department of Human

2-27 Resources.