Legislation to require the Alabama Medicaid Agency to verify eligibility of its recipients more often is ready for Senate consideration.
The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday, April 19, approved what the sponsor called a “radically changed” version of SB195.
Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, told the committee the substituted version of his bill would require Medicaid to verify eligibility twice a year. His original bill called for quarterly verification. The bill states its purpose is to stop duplication of assistance and deter fraud.
“If Medicaid finds fraud, then they are to report it for prosecution,” Orr said.
Subject to approval by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and federal law, the bill specifies 10 items of information the agency must verify for potential Medicaid recipients. It further requires that the agency, possibly through a vendor, review those same 10 items again on a semiannual basis.
The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee this week discussed but took no action on another Medicaid fraud bill, SB367 by Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Daphne.
Earlier in the session, the Alabama Legislature passed legislation making Medicaid fraud a Class C felony.
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