Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 1575	House Author:  Hull et al.
Effective:  9-1-23	Senate Sponsor:  Kolkhorst et al.

            House Bill 1575 amends the Government Code and Human Resources Code to set out provisions aimed to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their children through the case management for children and pregnant women program. The bill provides for the following:

·        standardized screening questions for assessing the nonmedical health‑related needs of pregnant women eligible for benefits under Medicaid and certain other public benefits programs and related mandatory informed consent;

·        a biennial report to the legislature by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) summarizing the data collected and provided to HHSC by Medicaid managed care organizations and providers using the screening questions;

·        provider qualifications and training requirements for the case management for children and pregnant women program and the establishment of separate Medicaid provider types for community health workers and doulas who provide case management services under the program;

·        initial medical and nonmedical health‑related screenings of certain pregnant women to determine eligibility for service coordination benefits or referral for program services and the optional nature of the screening or program services; and

·        a one‑time status report by HHSC to the legislature on the implementation of case management services provided to pregnant women under the case management for children and pregnant women program during the preceding fiscal year.