Public utilities; certificate of convenience and necessity for certain new transmission lines.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Geary Higgins

HB 2386 indexes CHIP eligibility to 250% of the current FPL and removes premium nonpayment termination and the 8-month waiting period, expanding access.

Left in Labor and Commerce

Purpose / Intent

HB 2386 amends K.S.A. 38-2001 to modernize and clarify eligibility rules for the Kansas Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP, Title XXI). The primary intent is to (1) index the program’s household income eligibility to the current federal poverty level (FPL) guidelines instead of a fixed reference year, and (2) remove certain coverage restrictions that limit access (premium nonpayment termination and an 8‑month waiting period in specified cases).

Key provisions

Income eligibility: Changes the statutory income threshold language from “250.0 percent of the 2008 federal poverty level” to “250.0 percent of the current federal poverty income guidelines.” This effectively indexes the program’s top eligibility threshold to the up‑to‑date federal guidelines rather than a fixed 2008 baseline.

Premium nonpayment: Eliminates statutory provisions that result in loss of coverage for a child when the family fails to pay program premiums (i.e., removes termination-for-nonpayment language).

Waiting period removal: Removes the existing 8‑month waiting period that applied to newly enrolled participants with family income over 200% of FPL who previously had comprehensive coverage through an individual policy or employer-provided plan. (Note: the original statute carved out exceptions when prior coverage ended for reasons beyond the family’s control; those exceptions remain described in statute.)

Retained program features: The bill leaves intact other program features in K.S.A. 38‑2001 (e.g., capitated managed care structure, presumptive eligibility where applicable, 12‑month continuous eligibility once determined eligible, sliding‑fee family contributions, coordination with Medicaid/EPSDT standards, and that coverage is subject to appropriations and federal rules).

Who would be affected

Primary beneficiaries: Kansas children (age 0–19) and their families eligible for CHIP.

Income groups: Families with household incomes up to 250% of the current federal poverty guidelines (rather than up to 250% of a 2008 benchmark).

Administrative: Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for implementation and eligibility determinations; contracted managed care entities.

Fiscal and administrative impact

KDHE and the Division of the Budget provided a fiscal note (Feb 19, 2025) stating that HB 2386 aligns statute with current practice and is not expected to have a fiscal impact. The FY2026 Governor’s Budget already assumes eligibility up to 250% of the current FPG.

The bill does not create a new entitlement; benefits remain subject to state and federal funding and appropriation limits.

Procedural / timeline

Introduced: February 4, 2025.

Referred: Initially to Appropriations; later to the Committee on Health and Human Services.

Hearing scheduled: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 — 1:30 PM, Room 112‑N.

Fiscal note dated: February 19, 2025.

If you want, I can produce a short plain‑language handout for families explaining how these changes could affect eligibility and enrollment steps.

Bill