Senate committee gives favorable report to bill requiring eligibility cross-checks for Medicaid and SNAP

A Senate committee on an unspecified date voted 11-3 to give a favorable report to a bill sponsored by Senator Orr that would require the Alabama Department of Human Resources and Medicaid eligibility staff to perform recurring database cross-checks of applicants and recipients of Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

The bill would not change eligibility categories or terms but would direct agencies to verify information provided by applicants against available databases and to recheck records at a stated frequency. Senator Orr said the measure is intended to “check what is represented by the applicant” and to perform cross-checks using databases other states already use.

Supporters at the public hearing said stricter verification can protect taxpayer dollars and reduce fraud. Opponents, including Carol Gunlock, senior policy analyst at Alabama Arise, and Linda Lee, executive director of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the bill would undermine presumptive eligibility for pregnant women and create harmful month-to-month “churn” on Medicaid and SNAP.

"One of the things this bill does is it prohibits what's called presumptive eligibility for Medicaid," Carol Gunlock said during public testimony, arguing that the bill would negate recently passed measures to provide presumptive eligibility for pregnant women. Gunlock added that monthly rechecks could lead to beneficiaries being turned off and then back on benefits repeatedly.

Linda Lee said pediatricians’ practices rely on program stability. "Fifty percent of Alabama's children are on Medicaid," Lee said. "Gretel Felton who's the Deputy Commissioner over eligibility and her team do an excellent job in doing what they do." She warned that monthly churn would create “chaos” for clinicians who treat Medicaid patients if coverage repeatedly lapses.

Committee members pressed a mix of policy and practical questions. Several senators said they supported verifying eligibility but wanted changes to frequency and scope. Senator Stutz said he did not expect large numbers of beneficiaries to oscillate on and off the rolls repeatedly, while other senators asked for clearer fiscal and operational estimates from agency staff.

Senator Coleman told the committee that the Medicaid agency had provided an initial cost estimate for implementing parts of the proposals: $2,700,000 for Medicaid and a separate $12,700,000 estimate referenced in the hearing record. Coleman said she wanted to hear from eligibility officers at DHR before final action to understand current verification practices and staffing needs.

The committee recorded a roll-call vote on the motion to report the bill favorably. The clerk announced the tally as 11 yeas and 3 nays and reported the bill out of committee on a favorable report.

The bill's sponsor and several committee members said they are open to negotiations on the number of databases checked and the frequency of rechecks before the measure moves forward. The committee did not adopt a formal amendment on those points during the hearing.

Votes at a glance: The committee voted 11-3 to give the bill a favorable report; the clerk recorded the three no votes as Senator Coleman, Senator Coleman Madison and Senator Stewart. The motion to report was moved and seconded on the Senate floor record for the committee.

The committee indicated plans to continue discussions with DHR and Medicaid staff on verification frequency and administrative cost before the measure advances further.