[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1361 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1361

 To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to eliminate the State 
   option to reduce the home equity exemption amount for purposes of 
eligibility for long-term care assistance under Medicaid, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2015

 Mr. Guthrie introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to eliminate the State 
   option to reduce the home equity exemption amount for purposes of 
eligibility for long-term care assistance under Medicaid, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Medicaid Home Owner Maximum Equity 
Improvement Act'' or the ``Medicaid HOME Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATING STATE OPTION TO REDUCE MEDICAID HOME EQUITY 
              EXEMPTION AMOUNT FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY 
              FOR LONG-TERM CARE ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Section 1917(f)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396p(f)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subparagraphs (B) 
        and (C)'' and inserting ``subparagraph (B)'';
            (2) by striking subparagraph (B);
            (3) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B); 
        and
            (4) in subparagraph (B), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``dollar amounts specified in this paragraph'' and inserting 
        ``dollar amount specified in subparagraph (A)''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
        shall apply with respect to eligibility determinations made 
        after the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment 
        of this section.
            (2) Exception for state legislation.--In the case of a 
        State plan under title XIX of the Social Security Act that the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services determines requires 
        State legislation in order for the respective plan to meet any 
        requirement imposed by amendments made by this section, the 
        respective plan shall not be regarded as failing to comply with 
        the requirements of such title solely on the basis of its 
        failure to meet such an additional requirement before the first 
        day of the first calendar quarter beginning after the close of 
        the first regular session of the State legislature that begins 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act. For purposes of 
        the previous sentence, in the case of a State that has a 2-year 
        legislative session, each year of the session shall be 
        considered to be a separate regular session of the State 
        legislature.
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