Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1138 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R5888 EES-F
2	2	By: Israel H.B. No. 1138
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the expansion of eligibility for medical assistance to
8	8	certain persons under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable
9	9	Care Act.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 32, Human Resources Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER G. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
14	14	Sec. 32.301. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
15	15	(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
16	16	Commission.
17	17	(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive
18	18	commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.
19	19	Sec. 32.302. EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
20	20	UNDER PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. (a)
21	21	Notwithstanding any other law, the commission shall provide medical
22	22	assistance to all persons who apply for that assistance and for whom
23	23	federal matching funds are available under the Patient Protection
24	24	and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. No. 111-148) as amended by the
25	25	Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No.
26	26	111-152) to provide that assistance.
27	27	(b) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules regarding
28	28	the provision of medical assistance as required by this section.
29	29	Sec. 32.303. ANNUAL REPORT ON EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY FOR
30	30	MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. Not later than December 1 of each year, the
31	31	commission shall report to the governor, the lieutenant governor,
32	32	the speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing
33	33	committees of the senate and the house of representatives having
34	34	primary jurisdiction over the medical assistance program on the
35	35	effects of expanding eligibility for medical assistance under
36	36	Section 32.302, including the effects on:
37	37	(1) the number of persons in this state who do not have
38	38	health benefits coverage;
39	39	(2) state health care costs, including costs relating
40	40	to programs funded with money appropriated out of the general
41	41	revenue fund;
42	42	(3) local health care costs; and
43	43	(4) charity care and uncompensated care costs for
44	44	hospitals.
45	45	SECTION 2. Section 32.302, Human Resources Code, as added
46	46	by this Act, applies only to an initial determination or
47	47	recertification of eligibility of a person for medical assistance
48	48	under Chapter 32, Human Resources Code, made on or after January 1,
49	49	2016, regardless of the date the person applied for that
50	50	assistance.
51	51	SECTION 3. As soon as possible after the effective date of
52	52	this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
53	53	Services Commission shall take all necessary actions to expand
54	54	eligibility for medical assistance under Chapter 32, Human
55	55	Resources Code, in accordance with Section 32.302, Human Resources
56	56	Code, as added by this Act, including notifying appropriate federal
57	57	agencies of that expanded eligibility. If before implementing any
58	58	provision of this Act a state agency determines that any other
59	59	waiver or authorization from a federal agency is necessary for
60	60	implementation of that provision, the agency affected by the
61	61	provision shall request the waiver or authorization and may delay
62	62	implementing that provision until the waiver or authorization is
63	63	granted.
64	64	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
65	65	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
66	66	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
67	67	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
68	68	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.