87R94 SRA-F
By: Turner of Dallas, Allison, Price, H.B. No. 578
Coleman
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the health literacy advisory committee and health
literacy in the state health plan.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 104.002, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Subdivision (6) to read as follows:
(6) "Health literacy" means the degree to which an
individual has the capacity to obtain and understand basic health
information and services to make appropriate health decisions.
SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 104, Health and Safety
Code, is amended by adding Section 104.0157 to read as follows:
Sec. 104.0157. HEALTH LITERACY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a)
The statewide health coordinating council shall establish an
advisory committee on health literacy composed of representatives
of relevant interest groups, including the academic community,
consumer groups, health plans, pharmacies, and associations of
physicians, dentists, hospitals, and nurses.
(b) Members of the advisory committee shall elect one member
as presiding officer.
(c) The advisory committee shall develop a long-range plan
for improving health literacy in this state. The committee shall
update the plan at least once every two years.
(d) In developing the long-range plan, the advisory
committee shall study the economic impact low health literacy has
on state health programs and health insurance coverage for
residents of this state. The advisory committee shall:
(1) identify primary risk factors contributing to low
health literacy;
(2) examine methods for health care practitioners,
health care facilities, and others to address the health literacy
of patients and the public;
(3) examine the effectiveness of using quality
measures in state health programs to improve health literacy;
(4) identify strategies for expanding the use of plain
language instructions for patients; and
(5) examine the impact improved health literacy has on
enhancing patient safety, reducing preventable events, and
increasing medication adherence to attain greater
cost-effectiveness and better patient outcomes in the provision of
health care.
(e) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
the advisory committee shall submit the long-range plan developed
or updated under this section to the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each
member of the legislature.
(f) An advisory committee member serves without
compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the member's
travel expenses as provided by Chapter 660, Government Code, and
the General Appropriations Act.
(g) Sections 2110.002, 2110.003, and 2110.008, Government
Code, do not apply to the advisory committee.
(h) Meetings of the advisory committee under this section
are subject to Chapter 551, Government Code.
SECTION 3. Sections 104.022(e) and (f), Health and Safety
Code, are amended to read as follows:
(e) The state health plan shall be developed and used in
accordance with applicable state and federal law. The plan must
identify:
(1) major statewide health concerns, including the
prevalence of low health literacy among health care consumers;
(2) the availability and use of current health
resources of the state, including resources associated with
information technology and state-supported institutions of higher
education; and
(3) future health service, information technology,
and facility needs of the state.
(f) The state health plan must:
(1) propose strategies for the correction of major
deficiencies in the service delivery system;
(2) propose strategies for improving health literacy
to attain greater cost-effectiveness and better patient outcomes in
the provision of health care;
(3) [(2)] propose strategies for incorporating
information technology in the service delivery system;
(4) [(3)] propose strategies for involving
state-supported institutions of higher education in providing
health services and for coordinating those efforts with health and
human services agencies in order to close gaps in services; and
(5) [(4)] provide direction for the state's
legislative and executive decision-making processes to implement
the strategies proposed by the plan.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.