Number: 110-13
Date: October 4, 2007

President Signs Public Law 110-90, the “TMA, Abstinence Education and QI Programs Extension Act of 2007”

On September 29, 2007, President Bush signed into law H.R. 3668, the “TMA, Abstinence Education and QI Programs Extension Act of 2007” (P.L. 110-90). The bill extended authorization for several expiring Federal programs through December 2007, and also expanded application of the SSI access to financial institutions information initiative to Medicaid. Following are provisions of interest to SSA:

Extension of Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) and Abstinence Education Program through December 31, 2007

•  Authorized TMA (an extension of Medicaid benefits for certain low-income families who would otherwise lose coverage due to income changes) through December 31, 2007. Extended the Abstinence Education program through this same date.

Extension of Qualifying Individual (QI) Program through December 31, 2007

•  Extended the QI Medicare Savings Program through December 31, 2007, also allocating an amount of $100 million to fund the program.

Extension of SSI Web-Based Asset Demonstration Project to the Medicaid Program

•  Required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use the current process that SSA uses in the access to information held by financial institutions pilot project to be utilized for verification of assets for Medicaid eligibility of individuals not applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Extension to Medicaid is limited to States in which the SSI pilot project is operating. This provision is effective for the period beginning October 1, 2007 and ending September 30, 2012.

NOTE: As drafted the provision expands the application of a fully automated “web-based” request and response process that does not yet exist. The current SSI asset verification process involves both manual and “web-based” transactions.

Additional Funding for the Medicare Physician Assistance and Quality Initiative Fund

•  Provided $325 million to the Medicare Physician Assistance and Quality Initiative Fund for expenditures during 2009 and an additional $60 million for expenditures during or after 2013. This fund is earmarked to provide bonus payments (thus offsetting scheduled Medicare physician reimbursement cuts) to physicians for successfully meeting quality measures for certain services.