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.