SRC-CDH S.B. 957 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 957 By: Lindsay Health & Human Services 3-31-97 As Filed DIGEST Currently, the home health care industry is experiencing a large amount of growth. Many of the services provided by home health care providers are paid for by Medicare, a fund with limited resources which is quickly being depleted. This legislation requires that recipients of home health care be made aware of how much the provider is collecting from Medicare, Medicaid, or some other funding source, in an effort to better inform patients regarding the cost of their care and reduce fraudulent billing. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 957 establishes billing disclosure requirements for providers of home and community support services. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is granted to the Texas Board of Health in SECTION 1 (Section 142.017, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 142A, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 142.017, as follows: Sec. 142.017. RULES FOR DISCLOSURE OF BILLING PROCEDURES. Requires the Texas Board of Health (board), by rule, to require a person licensed under this chapter to disclose to a client within a reasonable time determined by the board and after services are rendered, a description of services provided to the client, any amount billed to the client, and any amount billed to Medicare, Medicaid, or a private insurance company for those services. SECTION 2. (a) Effective date: September 1, 1997. (b) Requires the board to prescribe rules in accordance with Section 142.017, Health and Safety Code, not later than January 1, 1998. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.