US Federal House Bill HB1403

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/18/25
• Refer: 2/18/25

Caption

LIVE Beneficiaries Act Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility for Beneficiaries Act

Summary

HB 1403, the Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility for Beneficiaries Act (LIVE Beneficiaries Act), would amend Medicaid law under title XIX of the Social Security Act to require states to check, at least quarterly, whether people enrolled in Medicaid are deceased. Beginning January 1, 2027, states would have to review the federal Death Master File on a quarterly basis to identify any deceased enrollees. If a state determines that a Medicaid enrollee has died, the bill requires the state to treat that information as factual confirmation of death, disenroll the person, and stop Medicaid payments for services provided after death. The bill also requires immediate reinstatement, retroactive to the date of disenrollment, if the person was wrongly identified as deceased. States could continue using other electronic data sources to identify possible deaths, but only if they also comply with the bill’s quarterly Death Master File review requirement.

Impact

The bill would add a new mandatory state plan requirement for Medicaid in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, effectively amending section 1902 of the Social Security Act. It would create a new federal standard for death verification and disenrollment procedures, and would require states to update eligibility systems and administrative processes to conduct quarterly checks and correct erroneous terminations. The practical effect would be to reduce improper Medicaid payments for deceased beneficiaries while also imposing new administrative obligations on state Medicaid agencies.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as an integrity and program oversight bill rather than a controversial benefit expansion or cut. Its bipartisan introduction by Representatives Bilirakis and Craig suggests at least some cross-party support for the concept of preventing payments for deceased enrollees. No formal vote history or transcript is available here to show broader support or opposition.

Contention

The main policy tension is between program integrity and administrative burden. Supporters are likely to emphasize preventing improper Medicaid spending and improving eligibility accuracy, while critics may focus on the risk of erroneous disenrollment, the need for rapid correction procedures, and the costs of quarterly verification for states. Another possible point of concern is reliance on the Death Master File, which may not always be current or error-free, making the reinstatement safeguard important for individuals misidentified as deceased.