The bill would have an indeterminate impact on the State's financial status. The Department of Community Health estimates that 30,000 individuals on Medicaid enter nursing homes each year and that half of them have some form of prepaid funeral benefit. As these contracts are excludable assets for the purpose of determining Medicaid eligibility, any increase in the popularity of these contracts could increase Medicaid costs. For instance, if market penetration of these products went from 50% to 60%, Medicaid costs would increase by approximately $8 million Gross and $3.5 million GF/GP. However, it should be noted that currently a potential FIP- or Medicaid-eligible person already may buy the constituent parts of the combined package contemplated in this bill and exclude the value of the separate assets in the same amount noted in this bill. As mentioned, the real risk is whether potentially eligible individuals would buy "more" funeral benefits as a result of this bill, than has previously been the case.