Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2003

Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to grant States the option of covering certain categories of eligible women and child resident aliens under the Medicaid and SCHIP programs.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1689 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1689

To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States 
 the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid Program 
       and the State children's health insurance program (SCHIP).


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 9, 2003

 Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida (for himself, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Ros-
 Lehtinen, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, 
  Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Pallone, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. 
 Kilpatrick, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Green of 
Texas, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Matsui, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Towns, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. 
Schakowsky, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Davis of Florida, Mr. Delahunt, Ms. 
Solis, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Engel, Ms. Linda 
 T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Boyd, Mr. George Miller of California, 
 Mr. Stark, and Ms. DeGette) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
    the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to permit States 
 the option of coverage of legal immigrants under the Medicaid Program 
       and the State children's health insurance program (SCHIP).

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Legal Immigrant Children's Health 
Improvement Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. OPTIONAL COVERAGE OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER THE MEDICAID 
              PROGRAM AND SCHIP.

    (a) Medicaid Program.--Section 1903(v) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1396b(v)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
        inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (4)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(4)(A) A State may elect (in a plan amendment under this title) 
to provide medical assistance under this title, notwithstanding 
sections 401(a), 402(b), 403, and 421 of the Personal Responsibility 
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, for aliens who are 
lawfully residing in the United States (including battered aliens 
described in section 431(c) of such Act) and who are otherwise eligible 
for such assistance, within either or both of the following eligibility 
categories:
            ``(i) Pregnant women.--Women during pregnancy (and during 
        the 60-day period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy).
            ``(ii) Children.--Children (as defined under such plan), 
        including optional targeted low-income children described in 
        section 1905(u)(2)(B).
    ``(B) In the case of a State that has elected to provide medical 
assistance to a category of aliens under subparagraph (A), no debt 
shall accrue under an affidavit of support against any sponsor of such 
an alien on the basis of provision of assistance to such category and 
the cost of such assistance shall not be considered as an unreimbursed 
cost.''.
    (b) SCHIP.--Section 2107(e)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397gg(e)(1)) 
is amended by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraph 
(D) and (E), respectively, and by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 
following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Section 1903(v)(4) (relating to optional 
                coverage of categories of permanent resident alien 
                children), but only if the State has elected to apply 
                such section to the category of children under title 
                XIX.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section take 
effect on October 1, 2003, and apply to medical assistance and child 
health assistance furnished on or after such date.
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