(A) If a healthy Ohio program participant ceases to qualify for medicaid due to increased family countable income and purchases a health insurance policy or obtains health care coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored health plan, the amount remaining in the former participant's buckeye account shall be transferred to an account to be known as a bridge account. The amount so transferred may be used only to pay for the following:

(1) If the former participant has purchased a health insurance policy, the former participant's costs in purchasing the policy and paying for the former participant's out-of-pocket expenses under the policy for health care services and prescription drugs covered by the policy;

(2) If the former participant has obtained health care coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored health plan, the former participant's out-of-pocket expenses under the plan for health care services and prescription drugs covered by the plan.

(B) Only the amount remaining in a former healthy Ohio program participant's buckeye account at the time the former participant ceased to participate in the healthy Ohio program shall be deposited into the bridge account. The bridge account shall be closed once the amount transferred to it under division (A) of this section is exhausted.

(C) The medicaid director shall notify a former healthy Ohio program participant when a bridge account is established for the former participant under this section.

Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.