States must verify Medicaid beneficiaries quarterly to remove the deceased
H.R. 1403 — LIVE Beneficiaries Act · Filed by Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 18, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires states to check the federal Death Master File at least quarterly to identify and remove deceased individuals from Medicaid enrollment, effective January 1, 2027. States must disenroll deceased beneficiaries and stop paying for their medical care, while immediately reinstating coverage if someone is mistakenly identified as dead. The bill allows states to use other data sources to find deceased beneficiaries as long as they also comply with the Death Master File requirement.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is a procedural requirement for states to verify and remove deceased beneficiaries from Medicaid rolls using the Death Master File. It is a straightforward administrative measure to prevent improper payments and ensure program integrity.
What the text implies
- Quarterly verification cycles may create temporary gaps in coverage identification; deaths occurring between reviews could result in brief periods of erroneous payments before the next quarterly check.
- States with limited administrative capacity may struggle to implement timely reinstatement procedures for misidentified individuals, potentially creating delays in restoring coverage for living beneficiaries.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
State Medicaid programs (reduced improper payments); Living Medicaid beneficiaries (more available program funds)