81R14653 ALB-F
By: Villarreal, Naishtat H.B. No. 892
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 892:
By: Rose C.S.H.B. No. 892
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the Women's Health Program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 531.095 to read as follows:
Sec. 531.095. IMPLEMENTATION OF MEASURES TO ACHIEVE
CASELOAD AND COST-SAVINGS ESTIMATES. (a) To attain the state and
federal cost-savings and reduced rates of unintended pregnancies
estimated in the waiver application, or any renewal waiver
application, submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services for implementation of the demonstration project
authorized under Section 32.0248, Human Resources Code, the
commission shall implement effective education, outreach, and
other measures designed to increase participation in the
demonstration project and through the increased participation
achieve the caseload and cost-saving estimates stated in the waiver
application.
(b) The commission, in complying with Subsection (a), may
not take any action to decrease the level of programs and services
designed to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and lower
the rates of sexually transmitted diseases to below the level of
programs and services provided on September 1, 2009.
SECTION 2. Section 32.0248, Human Resources Code, is
amended by adding Subsections (b-1), (b-2), and (b-3) to read as
follows:
(b-1) The department shall identify women potentially
eligible for participation in the demonstration project following
pregnancies for which the women received benefits through the
medical assistance program and assist those women in establishing
eligibility for the demonstration project. Benefits received
through the demonstration project shall begin on the first day of
the month following termination of eligibility for the medical
assistance program.
(b-2) The department shall modify any applicable
administrative procedures to ensure that a woman described by
Subsection (b-1) maintains continuous eligibility for any services
provided by both the medical assistance program and the
demonstration project during the transition from participation in
the medical assistance program to participation in the
demonstration project.
(b-3) The department shall require any entity that provides
information and services to participants in the medical assistance
program to provide the following information to women who are
potentially eligible for the demonstration project:
(1) a description of benefits available through the
demonstration project; and
(2) information on how to apply for enrollment in the
demonstration project.
SECTION 3. If before implementing any provision of this Act
a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
authorization in a timely manner and may delay implementing that
provision until the waiver or authorization is granted.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.