An Act to Provide Young Children Stable Access to Health Care
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0896
Sponsors: CARNEY, MEYER
Amends: 22 MRSA §3174-G

Legislative Document
No. 896
S.P. 385
In Senate, March 11, 2025
An Act to Provide Young Children Stable Access to Health Care
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on March 5, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative MEYER of Eliot and
Senators: BRENNER of Cumberland, INGWERSEN of York, Representatives: BOYER of 
Cape Elizabeth, DEBRITO of Waterville, LEE of Auburn, MURPHY of Scarborough, 
SHAGOURY of Hallowell.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3174-G, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
5.  Continuous coverage of children under 6 years of age.  Upon the approval of the 
federal Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, the department shall adopt rules to establish the continuous eligibility of a child 
from birth through 5 years of age. A child who is eligible for and enrolls in Medicaid or the 
Children's Health Insurance Program established in section 3174-T is eligible to receive 
continuous coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, 
regardless of the family's change in income. Continuous eligibility must be maintained 
through the end of the month in which the child attains 6 years of age.
A child's eligibility to receive continuous coverage under this subsection must be 
redetermined or terminated if:
A.  The child is no longer a resident of the State;
B.  The child's parent or legal guardian requests termination of the child's eligibility;
C.  The child dies; or
D.  The department determines that the child's eligibility was erroneously granted at 
the most recent determination, redetermination or renewal of eligibility because of 
agency error, fraud, abuse or perjury.
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2. Department to apply for federal approval. The Department of Health 
and Human Services shall, by December 31, 2025, apply to the federal Department of 
Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a waiver or 
demonstration project or to amend a pending or current waiver or demonstration project to 
provide continuous eligibility for a child from birth through 5 years of age who is eligible 
for and enrolls in the MaineCare program.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to apply, by December 
31, 2025, to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare 
and Medicaid Services for a waiver or demonstration project or to amend a pending or 
current waiver or demonstration project to provide continuous eligibility to a child from 
birth through 5 years of age who is eligible for and enrolls in the Medicaid program. Upon 
the approval of such a waiver or demonstration project, it requires the department to adopt 
rules to establish the continuous eligibility of a child from birth through 5 years of age who 
is eligible for and enrolls in the Medicaid program, regardless of the child's family's change 
in income. Continuous eligibility must be maintained through the end of the month in which 
the child attains 6 years of age, but a child's eligibility to receive continuous coverage must 
be redetermined or terminated if the child is no longer a resident of the State, the child's 
parent or legal guardian requests termination of the child's eligibility, the child dies or the 
department determines that the child's eligibility was erroneously granted at the most recent 
determination, redetermination or renewal of eligibility because of agency error, fraud, 
abuse or perjury.