Sponsors (10)
The bill substantially expands and expedites disaster‑era Medicaid/CHIP/Medicare protections and provider flexibilities—improving access for displaced and low‑income people—at the cost of significant federal spending, added administrative complexity, and risks of fraud or uneven implementation once temporary protections end.
Low-income disaster survivors (including children and pregnant people) and displaced Medicaid/CHIP enrollees will keep or gain prompt, comprehensive Medicaid/CHIP coverage and expanded behavioral-health and maternal services during disasters—combined with streamlined enrollment and presumptive eligibility to speed access to care.
State governments and U.S. territories receive large federal fiscal support (100% FMAP, CHIP allotment adjustments, and dedicated HCBS grant funding) for disaster-related Medicaid/CHIP spending, reducing immediate state and territorial budget pressure.
Medicaid and host-community surge capacity is increased through faster HHS provider guidance/approvals, temporary use of out‑of‑State providers, and expedited section 1135 waivers—helping providers care for evacuees and reduce disruptions for patients with chronic conditions or who are elderly.
Federal taxpayers face substantially higher short‑term (and potentially large aggregate) costs from 100% FMAP, expanded waiver flexibilities, Part B enrollment exclusions, HCBS grants, and evaluation/contractor expenses.
Disaster-era coverage protections are time‑limited (e.g., two‑year disaster Medicaid period and relief windows); people who remain economically unstable or displaced after the relief period risk losing coverage and facing care gaps.
States and local agencies will face significant administrative complexity—coordinating cross‑state parity and billing, rapidly expanding provider and enrollment capacity, reconciling CHIP allotments, updating CMS systems, and implementing new guidance—creating implementation burdens and short‑term costs.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Requires State Medicaid plans to cover qualifying disaster survivors for two years after a qualifying disaster, with 100% federal match in direct impact areas and related program and operational changes.
Requires State Medicaid programs to cover qualifying disaster survivors for a two-year “relief coverage period” following certain disaster, national emergency, or public health emergency declarations, and creates related payment, operational, and program changes to help states and providers deliver care. It provides full federal matching (100% FMAP) for Medicaid and CHIP costs for people who live in a declared disaster "direct impact area" during that relief period, pauses eligibility redeterminations in those areas, directs HHS to issue guidance and technical assistance, funds HCBS emergency response corps grants, changes certain Medicare and emergency-declaration rules for evacuee host areas, and requires a multi-year independent evaluation of the law’s impacts.
Introduced June 12, 2025 by Richard Blumenthal · Last progress June 12, 2025