This bill, called the Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility for Beneficiaries (LIVE) Act, would require state Medicaid programs to check the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File—a federal list of reported deaths—at least every three months to see if any enrollees have died. Starting January 1, 2027, if the check shows someone is deceased, the state must treat that as proof, disenroll the person, and stop paying benefits beyond the date of death. If a living person is wrongly flagged as deceased, the state must quickly restore their coverage and make it retroactive to fix the gap. States may also use other electronic sources to spot deaths, but they still must follow these quarterly checks. These rules apply to the 50 states and Washington, DC.

Key points:

• Who is affected: People on Medicaid, state Medicaid agencies, and taxpayers.
• What changes: Quarterly checks against the Death Master File; disenrollment and payment stop after death; fast reinstatement if a mistake happens; option to use other data sources too.
• When: Requirements begin January 1, 2027.