Sponsors (4)
The bill aims to reduce improper Medicaid payments and standardize death-record matching to improve program integrity and protect taxpayers, but it raises privacy risks, can cause temporary wrongful disenrollments, and imposes administrative costs on states.
State governments and taxpayers will see fewer improper post-death Medicaid payments because deceased enrollees are identified and payments stopped.
Medicaid beneficiaries who were mistakenly disenrolled will be promptly reenrolled with retroactive coverage, reducing gaps in care and unexpected medical bills.
State and local agencies will have a standardized, quarterly process for matching against the Death Master File, creating clearer verification procedures and improving program integrity and consistency across jurisdictions.
Medicaid beneficiaries risk wrongful temporary loss of coverage if Death Master File errors lead to erroneous disenrollments, creating potential gaps in care despite reenrollment protections.
Regular automated matching of beneficiaries against death records raises privacy and data-security concerns because personal death-related data will be routinely used administratively.
States will incur administrative costs to implement quarterly DMF screening and related system/process changes, which could divert resources from other services or require new spending.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires States and D.C. to screen the Social Security Death Master File quarterly starting Jan 1, 2027, to disenroll deceased Medicaid enrollees, stop post-death payments, and reinstate coverage if matches are erroneous.
Introduced February 18, 2025 by Gus Bilirakis · Last progress February 18, 2025
Requires States and the District of Columbia to screen the Social Security Death Master File (and optionally other electronic data sources) at least quarterly beginning January 1, 2027, to identify deceased Medicaid enrollees, disenroll them, and stop post-death payments (except for items/services provided before death). Matches from the Death Master File are treated as conclusive for verification purposes, and States must promptly reenroll and provide retroactive coverage if a match was later found to be erroneous. One section only sets the Act's citation and contains no operative provisions.