§171. Health insurance eligibility status of students attending certain schools

A. The principal of each public elementary and secondary school in the state shall be responsible for implementing procedures for providing for the release of certain information relative to the health insurance eligibility status of certain students. Each such administrator shall make available on the free and reduced-priced meals application a section stating that children receiving free or reduced-priced meals who do not have health insurance can receive free health coverage from the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program and that the school system is allowed to share information from such application with the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program. Such section shall also provide a place for the signature of the child's parent or guardian and the date and the option to check next to a statement that the person signing does not want school officials to share information from the free and reduced-priced meals application with the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program.

B. School and school system administrators having control of such completed applications shall make the information on such applications available to public health insurance programs providing health insurance coverage for children, including Medicaid and the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program, except for information on any application on which the option not to share information has been checked. However, no public school, public school system, or public school board and no teacher, principal, or school administrator in any public elementary or secondary school shall be liable for any act or failure to act in sharing the health insurance eligibility status of a student with the Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program, unless such act was malicious, willful, or deliberately intended to cause harm.

Acts 2005, No. 442, §1, eff. July 1, 2006.