relative to financial eligibility for the Medicare savings program.

The provision that would have eliminated the resource (asset) test for the Medicare Savings Program was removed entirely. Previously, the bill would have allowed people with higher assets to qualify for the program by disregarding their resources.

Subsection II was simplified from two requirements (eliminating the resource test AND making the Part D subsidy available) down to a single requirement: making the low-income subsidy for Medicare Part D available to residents, subject to CMS approval.

The fiscal note was completely rewritten. The introduced version estimated $5.9 million per year in new costs (split between state general funds and federal funds) due to removing asset limits. The amended version states there is no expected fiscal impact because the Part D subsidy is already available to eligible residents, is fully federally funded, and state expenditures have historically used only 55-67% of the federal allotment.