HBA-MPA H.B. 897 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 897 By: Haggerty Public Health 7/21/1999 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Prior to the 76th Legislature, there was a shortfall between the cost of ambulance service and what Medicare will pay for this service. Medicare paid 80 percent of the cost of service for those who qualified for the program. Since many Medicare clients also qualified for medical assistance, that program could have potentially made up for the shortfall, thereby removing ambulance operators, who are required by law to respond to all emergency calls, from the need to absorb this expense or pass it on to other clients. H.B. 897 requires the medical assistance program to pay the Medicare deductibles and coinsurance on ambulance service. This bill allows Medicare recipients to spend less on their Medicare benefits. Ambulance service providers would receive the same reimbursement rates that they currently receive. Medicare recipients would have their deductibles and coinsurance covered by the medical assistance program only if the service provided was an ambulance service. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 32.043, Human Resource Code, as added by Chapter 1153, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, by requiring the medical assistance program to pay Medicare deductibles and coinsurance for ambulance service provided to an individual who is eligible under the medical assistance program and Medicare. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 3. Requires the Health and Human Services Commission (commission), if it determines before this Act is implemented that a waiver or authorization from a federal agency is necessary, to request the waiver or authorization. Authorizes the commission to delay implementation until such waiver is granted. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.