Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3682 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Arévalo, Coleman, Oliverson, Collier, H.B. No. 3682
2		-	Sheffield
	1	+	By: Arévalo H.B. No. 3682
3	2
4	3
5	4		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	5		AN ACT
7	6		relating to requiring the statewide health coordinating council and
8	7		state health plan to examine and report on the impact of low health
9	8		literacy on consumers and the health care system.
10	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	10		SECTION 1. Chapter 104, Health and Safety Code, is amended
12	11		by adding a Section 104.002 (6) to read as follows:
13	12		(6) "Health literacy" means the degree to which individuals
14	13		have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health
15	14		information and services needed to make appropriate health
16	15		decisions.
17	16		SECTION 2. Chapter 104, Health and Safety Code, is amended
18	17		by adding a Section 104.0157 to read as follows:
19	18		Sec. 104.0157. HEALTH LITERACY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a)
20	19		The statewide health coordinating council shall form an advisory
21	20		committee on health literacy. The committee must include
22	21		representatives of interested groups, including the academic
23	22		community, consumer groups, health plans, pharmacies, and
24	23		associations of physicians, hospitals, and nurses.
25	24		(b) The advisory committee shall develop a long-range plan
26	25		for increasing health literacy in Texas, including identifying key
27	26		risk factors for low health literacy, examining methods for health
28	27		care providers, facilities, and others to address health literacy
29	28		with patients and the public, examine the effectiveness of using
30	29		quality measures in state health programs to improve health
31	30		literacy, identifying ways to expand the use of plain language
32	31		instructions for patients, identifying ways increasing health
33	32		literacy can improve patient safety, reduce preventable events and
34	33		increase medication adherence in pursuit of greater
35	34		cost-effectiveness and better patient outcomes in health care. In
36	35		developing the long-range plan, the advisory committee shall study
37	36		the economic impact of low health literacy on state health care
38	37		programs and on insurance coverage for residents of this state.
39	38		(c) The advisory committee shall elect a presiding officer.
40	39		(d) Members of the advisory committee serve without
41	40		compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for the members'
42	41		travel expenses as provided by Chapter 660, Government Code, and
43	42		the General Appropriations Act.
44	43		(e) Chapter 2110, Government Code, does not apply to the
45	44		size, composition, or duration of the advisory committee.
46	45		(f) Meetings of the advisory committee under this section
47	46		are subject to Chapter 551, Government Code.
48	47		SECTION 3. Chapter 104, Health and Safety Code, is amended
49	48		by amending Sec. 104.022(e)(1) adding a new Sec. 104.022(f)(2) to
50	49		read as follows:
51	50		Sec. 104.022. STATE HEALTH PLAN. (a) Information needed
52	51		for the development of the state health plan shall be gathered
53	52		through systematic methods designed to include local, regional, and
54	53		statewide perspectives.
55	54		(b) The statewide health coordinating council, in
56	55		consultation with the commission, shall issue overall directives
57	56		for the development of the state health plan.
58	57		(c) The department shall consult with the Department of
59	58		Aging and Disability Services, the commission, and other
60	59		appropriate health-related state agencies designated by the
61	60		governor before performing the duties and functions prescribed by
62	61		state and federal law regarding the development of the state health
63	62		plan.
64	63		(d) The statewide health coordinating council shall provide
65	64		guidance to the department in developing the state health plan.
66	65		(e) The state health plan shall be developed and used in
67	66		accordance with applicable state and federal law. The plan must
68	67		identify:
69	68		(1) major statewide health concerns, including the
70	69		prevalence of low health literacy for health care consumers;
71	70		(2) the availability and use of current health
72	71		resources of the state, including resources associated with
73	72		information technology and state-supported institutions of higher
74	73		education; and
75	74		(3) future health service, information technology,
76	75		and facility needs of the state.
77	76		(f) The state health plan must:
78	77		(1) propose strategies for the correction of major
79	78		deficiencies in the service delivery system;
80	79		(2) propose strategies for increasing health literacy
81	80		in pursuit of greater cost-effectiveness and better patient
82	81		outcomes in health care;
83	82		[(2)](3) propose strategies for incorporating
84	83		information technology in the service delivery system;
85	84		[(3)](4) propose strategies for involving
86	85		state-supported institutions of higher education in providing
87	86		health services and for coordinating those efforts with health and
88	87		human services agencies in order to close gaps in services; and
89	88		[(4)](5) provide direction for the state's legislative
90	89		and executive decision-making processes to implement the
91	90		strategies proposed by the plan.
92	91		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect takes effect September 1,
93	92		2017.