86R13688 MM-D
By: RodrÃguez S.B. No. 1752
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to all
persons for whom federal matching money is available.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 32, Human Resources Code,
is amended by adding Section 32.02472 to read as follows:
Sec. 32.02472. EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY FOR MEDICAL
ASSISTANCE. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the commission
shall provide medical assistance to all persons who apply for that
assistance and for whom federal matching money is available.
(b) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary
to implement this section.
(c) The commission, in cooperation with the comptroller and
Legislative Budget Board, shall conduct a study regarding the cost
effects of the expanded eligibility. The study must identify:
(1) the estimated amount of health care costs hospital
districts and counties in this state will save each state fiscal
year by expanding that eligibility; and
(2) the estimated reduction in uncompensated care
costs to hospital districts and counties that will result from the
expansion of medical assistance eligibility and that would
otherwise be paid from hospital district and county tax revenue.
SECTION 2. Chapter 26, Tax Code, is amended by adding
Section 26.0443 to read as follows:
Sec. 26.0443. TAX RATE ADJUSTMENT FOR EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY
FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE UNDER FEDERAL LAW. In the first tax year in
which a hospital district or a county adopts a tax rate and in which
the state expands eligibility for medical assistance in accordance
with and provides medical assistance using federal matching money
made available under federal law as required by Section 32.02472,
Human Resources Code, the effective tax rate and the rollback tax
rate for the hospital district or the county are decreased by the
rate that, if applied to current total value, would impose an amount
of taxes equal to the reduction in uncompensated care costs
realized by the hospital district or county as identified under
Section 32.02472(c)(2), Human Resources Code, that will result from
the provision of that assistance.
SECTION 3. Section 32.02472, Human Resources Code, as added
by this Act, applies only to an initial determination or
recertification of eligibility of a person for medical assistance
under Chapter 32, Human Resources Code, made on or after the date
the section is implemented, regardless of the date the person
applied for that assistance.
SECTION 4. As soon as possible after the effective date of
this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
Services Commission shall take all necessary actions to expand
eligibility for medical assistance under Chapter 32, Human
Resources Code, in accordance with Section 32.02472, Human
Resources Code, as added by this Act, including notifying
appropriate federal agencies of that expanded eligibility.
SECTION 5. If before implementing any provision of this Act
a state agency determines that any other 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 and may delay implementing that provision
until the waiver or authorization is granted.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.