Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3151 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		85R24003 JG-F
2	2		By: Sheffield H.B. No. 3151
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3151:
4		-	By: Minjarez C.S.H.B. No. 3151
5	3
6	4
7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9	7		relating to demonstration projects to coordinate eligibility
10	8		renewal and eligibility recertification for certain children in the
11	9		Medicaid and child health plan programs.
12	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	11		SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 62, Health and Safety
14	12		Code, is amended by adding Section 62.1025 to read as follows:
15	13		Sec. 62.1025. ELIGIBILITY RENEWAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
16	14		(a) The commission shall establish a demonstration project through
17	15		the child health plan program to allow the commission to
18	16		simultaneously renew the eligibility of multiple children within
19	17		the same household who are eligible for enrollment in the program.
20	18		(b) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary
21	19		to determine the scope of and eligibility for participating in the
22	20		demonstration project.
23	21		(c) The commission shall, to the extent possible, operate
24	22		the demonstration project under this section in conjunction with
25	23		the demonstration project under Section 32.02614, Human Resources
26	24		Code. The demonstration project may not increase the frequency
27	25		with which:
28	26		(1) the eligibility of children participating in the
29	27		demonstration project would otherwise be renewed; or
30	28		(2) those children's household incomes are reviewed
31	29		under Section 62.102(b).
32	30		(d) Not later than December 1, 2020, the commission shall
33	31		submit a report to the legislature regarding the commission's
34	32		progress in establishing and operating the demonstration project
35	33		and recommendations on continuing or expanding the demonstration
36	34		project.
37	35		(e) This section expires September 1, 2021.
38	36		SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 32, Human Resources Code,
39	37		is amended by adding Section 32.02614 to read as follows:
40	38		Sec. 32.02614. ELIGIBILITY RECERTIFICATION DEMONSTRATION
41	39		PROJECT. (a) In this section, "child health plan program" has the
42	40		meaning assigned by Section 531.001, Government Code.
43	41		(b) The commission shall establish a demonstration project
44	42		through the medical assistance program to allow the commission, to
45	43		the greatest extent possible, to develop and test solutions to
46	44		simultaneously:
47	45		(1) recertify and renew, as applicable, the
48	46		eligibility of multiple children within the same household who are
49	47		eligible for medical assistance under this chapter or for the child
50	48		health plan program, including the eligibility of siblings when a
51	49		child within the household reaches the age of one; and
52	50		(2) verify the household income of all persons
53	51		described by Subdivision (1) in accordance with this section to
54	52		determine eligibility.
55	53		(c) The demonstration project must include participation by
56	54		one or more households in each of the following categories:
57	55		(1) a household with children who are eligible for
58	56		medical assistance or the child health plan program, at least one of
59	57		whom is younger than the age of one;
60	58		(2) a household with children who are eligible for
61	59		medical assistance or the child health plan program, at least some
62	60		of whom are not siblings; and
63	61		(3) a household with at least one child who is eligible
64	62		for medical assistance and at least one child who is eligible for
65	63		the child health plan program.
66	64		(d) The commission shall simultaneously verify the
67	65		household income of all children within the same household
68	66		participating in the demonstration project not more frequently than
69	67		twice during each 12-month period, with the first verification
70	68		occurring before the sixth month following the earliest date that a
71	69		child within the household was determined to be eligible for the
72	70		medical assistance program, and the second verification occurring
73	71		after that six-month period but before the annual recertification
74	72		date.
75	73		(e) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary
76	74		to determine the scope of and eligibility for participating in the
77	75		demonstration project.
78	76		(f) The commission may establish the demonstration project
79	77		in one or more geographic areas and form partnerships with entities
80	78		experienced in outreach, application assistance, and enrolling
81	79		recipients in the medical assistance program, the child health plan
82	80		program, and any other health benefits coverage.
83	81		(g) The commission shall, to the extent possible, operate
84	82		the demonstration project under this section in conjunction with
85	83		the demonstration project under Section 62.1025, Health and Safety
86	84		Code.
87	85		(h) Not later than December 1, 2020, the commission shall
88	86		submit a report to the legislature regarding the commission's
89	87		progress in establishing and operating the demonstration project
90	88		and recommendations on continuing or expanding the demonstration
91	89		project.
92	90		(i) This section expires September 1, 2021.
93	91		SECTION 3. Not later than September 1, 2018, the Health and
94	92		Human Services Commission shall implement the eligibility renewal
95	93		and eligibility recertification demonstration projects required by
96	94		Section 62.1025, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, and
97	95		Section 32.02614, Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.
98	96		SECTION 4. If before implementing any provision of this Act
99	97		a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
100	98		federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
101	99		the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
102	100		authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
103	101		waiver or authorization is granted.
104	102		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
105	103		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
106	104		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
107	105		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
108	106		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.