HR-1019-119
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sponsored by Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA)
What it does
This bill would require states, beginning January 1, 2026, to regularly obtain address information for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees from reliable data sources and update enrollment records accordingly. It would also require managed care organizations under Medicaid contracts to transmit any address information they receive directly from, or verify directly with, enrollees back to the state. The bill applies to all 50 states and the District of Columbia but not to U.S. territories.
Who benefits
Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who have moved and need updated contact information on file to receive renewal notices and avoid losing coverage. State Medicaid agencies that would have more accurate enrollment data for program administration. Taxpayers and program integrity advocates who support reducing improper payments to ineligible enrollees. Managed care organizations that would have a clearer legal obligation for data-sharing, reducing ambiguity in their contracts. Enrollees in rural or transient populations who frequently move and may otherwise miss renewal communications.
Who is hurt
State Medicaid agencies and CHIP programs that would bear administrative and technology costs to implement the new address-verification process by the January 2026 deadline. Managed care organizations that would need to update contract terms and data systems to comply with the transmission requirement. Enrollees who have moved but whose new addresses cannot be verified through available data sources, who may face increased scrutiny of their enrollment status. Privacy advocates concerned about the expanded sharing of personal address data between government agencies and private managed care entities.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that inaccurate address information is a leading cause of improper Medicaid disenrollment — enrollees who have moved miss renewal notices and lose coverage not because they are ineligible, but because the state cannot reach them. They contend that proactively obtaining address updates from reliable data sources, a process already referenced in existing federal regulations at 42 C.F.R. § 435.919, would reduce coverage gaps and improve program accuracy simultaneously. The bill's bipartisan sponsorship — by Representatives Miller-Meeks and Dingell — reflects that better address data serves both program integrity and continuity-of-care goals.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that mandating a new address-verification process by January 2026 imposes an unfunded administrative burden on states, which must build or upgrade data systems on a tight timeline without guaranteed federal resources to cover implementation costs. They contend that expanding the flow of personal address data between state agencies and private managed care organizations raises privacy risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as domestic violence survivors or individuals in witness protection, whose safety may depend on keeping their addresses confidential from third parties.
Constitutional context
Congress has broad authority to set conditions on states' participation in Medicaid under the Taxing and Spending Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 1). NFIB v. Sebelius (2012) established that such conditions are permissible as long as they do not cross into unconstitutional coercion — i.e., states must retain a genuine choice. This bill adds an administrative requirement to an existing program rather than threatening the loss of all Medicaid funding, which places it well within the range of permissible spending conditions under current doctrine.
Checks and balances
Congress gains authority by adding a new mandatory condition to state Medicaid plans; states retain the ability to design their own compliant processes within the federal framework, and HHS oversees implementation through existing regulatory authority.
Historical precedent
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and subsequent CMS guidance already encouraged states to use data sources such as the USPS National Change of Address database during the post-COVID unwinding of continuous Medicaid enrollment, establishing a regulatory foundation this bill would codify into statute.