Title 42
SECTION 447.55
447.55 Premiums.
§ 447.55 Premiums.(a) The agency may impose premiums upon individuals whose income exceeds 150 percent of the FPL, subject to the exemptions set forth in § 447.56(a) and the aggregate limitations set forth in § 447.56(f) of this part, except that:
(1) Pregnant women described in described in paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section may be charged premiums that do not exceed 10 percent of the amount by which their family income exceeds 150 percent of the FPL after deducting expenses for care of a dependent child.
(i) The agency may use state or local funds available under other programs for payment of a premium for such pregnant women. Such funds shall not be counted as income to the individual for whom such payment is made.
(ii) Pregnant women described in this clause include pregnant women eligible for Medicaid under § 435.116 of this chapter whose income exceeds the higher of -
(A) 150 percent FPL; and
(B) If applicable, the percent FPL described in section 1902(l)(2)(A)(iv) of the Act up to 185 percent FPL.
(2) Individuals provided medical assistance only under sections 1902(a)(10)(A)(ii)(XV) or 1902(a)(10)(A)(ii)(XVI) of the Act and the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA), may be charged premiums on a sliding scale based on income.
(3) Disabled children provided medical assistance under section 1902(a)(10)(A)(ii)(XIX) of the Act in accordance with the Family Opportunity Act, may be charged premiums on a sliding scale based on income. The aggregate amount of the child's premium imposed under this paragraph and any premium that the parent is required to pay for family coverage under section 1902(cc)(2)(A)(i) of the Act, and other cost sharing charges may not exceed:
(i) 5 percent of the family's income if the family's income is no more than 200 percent of the FPL.
(ii) 7.5 percent of the family's income if the family's income exceeds 200 percent of the FPL but does not exceed 300 percent of the FPL.
(4) Qualified disabled and working individuals described in section 1905(s) of the Act, whose income exceeds 150 percent of the FPL, may be charged premiums on a sliding scale based on income, expressed as a percentage of Medicare cost sharing described at section 1905(p)(3)(A)(i) of the Act.
(5) Medically needy individuals, as defined in §§ 435.4 and 436.3 of this chapter, may be charged on a sliding scale. The agency must impose an appropriately higher charge for each higher level of family income, not to exceed $20 per month for the highest level of family income.
(b) Consequences for non-payment. (1) For premiums imposed under paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3) and (a)(4) of this section, the agency may not require a group or groups of individuals to prepay.
(2) Except for premiums imposed under paragraph (a)(5) of this section, the agency may terminate an individual from medical assistance on the basis of failure to pay for 60 days or more.
(3) For premiums imposed under paragraph (a)(2) of this section -
(i) For individuals with annual income exceeding 250 percent of the FPL, the agency may require payment of 100 percent of the premiums imposed under this paragraph for a year, such that payment is only required up to 7.5 percent of annual income for individuals whose annual income does not exceed 450 percent of the FPL.
(ii) For individuals whose annual adjusted gross income (as defined in section 62 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) exceeds $75,000, increased by inflation each calendar year after 2000, the agency must require payment of 100 percent of the premiums for a year, except that the agency may choose to subsidize the premiums using state funds which may not be federally matched by Medicaid.
(4) For any premiums imposed under this section, the agency may waive payment of a premium in any case where the agency determines that requiring the payment will create an undue hardship for the individual or family.
(5) The agency may not apply further consequences or penalties for non-payment other than those listed in this section.
(c) State plan specifications. For each premium, enrollment fee, or similar charge imposed under paragraph (a) of this section, subject to the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, the plan must specify -
(1) The group or groups of individuals that may be subject to the charge;
(2) The amount and frequency of the charge;
(3) The process used by the state to identify which beneficiaries are subject to premiums and to ensure individuals exempt from premiums are not charged; and
(4) The consequences for an individual or family who does not pay.