text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Children's Express Lane to Health 
  Coverage Act of 2003''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
  
      (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
              (1) Despite gains made in recent years, 8,900,000 children 
          in the United States are uninsured. Of those, 6,900,000 are 
          eligible for public health insurance coverage.
              (2) Most low-income uninsured children are enrolled in 
          nutrition and related programs that operate under income 
          guidelines similar to those of the medicaid program. In fact, 
          63 percent, or 4,300,000, low-income uninsured children are in 
          families that receive benefits through the food stamps program, 
          the National school lunch program, or the special supplemental 
          nutrition program for women, infants and children (commonly 
          referred to as ``WIC'').
              (3) The public would be well served if Federal means-tested 
          public programs were able to improve administrative efficiency 
          and coordination as well as reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.
              (4) Uninsured children would be well served if their 
          enrollment in a nutrition-based or other means-tested program 
          could serve as a gateway to health coverage.
              (5) Existing law already allows children to be found income 
          eligible for WIC based on their enrollment in the medicaid 
          program. Current law does not, however, give States adequate 
          flexibility to make an income determination for eligibility for 
          the medicaid or State children's health insurance program based 
          on an uninsured child's enrollment in WIC or another public 
          program.
      (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to give States the 
  flexibility to find children income eligible for the medicaid program 
  or State children's health insurance program based on the fact that the 
  children are eligible for nutrition assistance or similar public 
  programs with comparable income standards and methodologies.
  
  SEC. 3. STATE OPTION TO PROVIDE FOR SIMPLIFIED DETERMINATIONS OF A 
                CHILD'S FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE 
                UNDER MEDICAID OR CHILD HEALTH ASSISTANCE UNDER SCHIP.
  
      (a) Medicaid.--Section 1902(e) of the Social Security Act (42 
  U.S.C. 1396a(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
              ``(13)(A) At the option of the State, the plan may provide 
          that financial eligibility requirements for medical assistance 
          are met for an individual who is under an age specified by the 
          State (not to exceed 21 years of age) by using a determination 
          (made within a reasonable period, as found by the State, before 
          its use for this purpose) of the individual's family or 
          household income or resources, notwithstanding any differences 
          in budget unit, disregard, deeming, or other methodology, by a 
          Federal or State agency (or a public or private entity making 
          such determination on behalf of such agency) specified by the 
          plan, including but not limited to the agencies administering 
          the Food Stamp Act of 1977, the Richard B. Russell National 
          School Lunch Act, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, provided 
          that such agency has fiscal liabilities or responsibilities 
          affected or potentially affected by such determinations and 
          provided that all information furnished by such agency pursuant 
          to this subparagraph is used solely for purposes of determining 
          eligibility for medical assistance under the State plan 
          approved under this title or for child health assistance under 
          a State plan approved under title XXI.
              ``(B) Nothing in subparagraph (A) shall be construed--
                      ``(i) to authorize the denial of medical assistance 
                  under a State plan approved under this title or of 
                  child health assistance under a State plan approved 
                  under title XXI to an individual who, without the 
                  application of this paragraph or an option exercised 
                  thereunder, would qualify for such assistance;
                      ``(ii) to relieve a State of the obligation under 
                  subsection (a)(8) to furnish assistance with reasonable 
                  promptness after the submission of an initial 
                  application that is evaluated or for which evaluation 
                  is requested pursuant to this paragraph; or
                      ``(iii) to relieve a State of the obligation to 
                  determine eligibility on other grounds for an 
                  individual found to be ineligible under this paragraph.
              ``(C) At the option of a State, the financial eligibility 
          process described in subparagraph (A) may apply to an 
          individual who is older than age 21 if such individual's 
          eligibility for medical assistance is based on pregnancy or if 
          such individual is a parent, guardian, or other caretaker 
          relative of an individual found eligible under subparagraph 
          (A).''.
      (b) SCHIP.--Section 2107(e)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 
  U.S.C. 1397gg(e)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                      ``(E) Section 1902(e)(13) (relating to the State 
                  option to base a child's eligibility for assistance on 
                  financial determinations made by a program providing 
                  nutrition or other public assistance).''.
      (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section take 
  effect on October 1, 2003.
target: Children's Express Lane to Health Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of providing that Medicaid or SCHIP financial eligibility requirements are met for children based on their eligibility for nutrition assistance or similar public programs with comparable income standards and methodologies.
feat_title: A bill to give States the flexibility to reduce bureaucracy by streamlining enrollment processes for the medicaid and State children's health insurance programs through better linkages with programs providing nutrition and related assistance to low-income families.