RECIPIENT ENROLLMENT IN AND DISENROLLMENT FROM MEDICAID MANAGED CARE PLAN

The commission shall: (1) encourage recipients to choose appropriate Medicaid managed care plans and primary health care providers by: (A) providing initial information to recipients and providers in a region about the need for recipients to choose plans and providers not later than the 90th day before the date a Medicaid managed care organization plans to begin providing health care services to recipients in that region through managed care; (B) providing follow-up information before assignment of plans and providers and after assignment, if necessary, to recipients who delay in choosing plans and providers; and (C) allowing plans and providers to provide information to recipients or engage in marketing activities under marketing guidelines the commission establishes under Section 540.0055(a) after the commission approves the information or activities; (2) in assigning plans and providers to recipients who fail to choose plans and providers, consider: (A) the importance of maintaining existing provider-patient and physician-patient relationships, including relationships with specialists, public health clinics, and community health centers; (B) to the extent possible, the need to assign family members to the same providers and plans; and (C) geographic convenience of plans and providers for recipients; (3) retain responsibility for enrolling recipients in and disenrolling recipients from plans, except that the commission may delegate the responsibility to an independent contractor who receives no form of payment from, and has no financial ties to, any managed care organization; (4) develop and implement an expedited process for determining eligibility for and enrolling pregnant women and newborn infants in plans; and (5) ensure immediate access to prenatal services and newborn care for pregnant women and newborn infants enrolled in plans, including ensuring that a pregnant woman may obtain an appointment with an obstetrical care provider for an initial maternity evaluation not later than the 30th day after the date the woman applies for Medicaid.