By Christian                                          H.B. No. 2565
         76R8289 DLF-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to payment for health care services provided to certain
 1-3     persons by public hospitals and  hospital districts.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 61, Health and Safety Code,
 1-6     is amended by adding Section 61.0335 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 61.0335.  SERVICES PROVIDED BY PUBLIC HOSPITAL OR
 1-8     HOSPITAL DISTRICT; INFORMATION NECESSARY TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY
 1-9     IN COUNTY.  (a)  A public hospital or hospital district that
1-10     provides health care services to a patient who the public hospital
1-11     or hospital district suspects is an eligible county resident for
1-12     which a county is liable for health care services under Section
1-13     61.033, may require the patient to:
1-14                 (1)  provide any information necessary to establish
1-15     that the person is an eligible county resident; and
1-16                 (2)  authorize the release of any information relating
1-17     to the patient, including medical information and information
1-18     obtained under Subdivision (1), to permit the public hospital or
1-19     hospital district to submit a claim to the county that is liable
1-20     under Section 61.033.
1-21           (b)  A county that receives information obtained under
1-22     Subsection (a) shall use the information to determine whether the
1-23     person to whom services were provided is an eligible county
1-24     resident of that county and, if so, shall pay the claim made by the
 2-1     public hospital or hospital district in accordance with this
 2-2     subchapter.
 2-3           (c)  The application, documentation, and verification
 2-4     procedures established by the department for counties under Section
 2-5     61.006 may include a standard format for obtaining information
 2-6     under Subsection (a) to facilitate eligibility and residence
 2-7     determinations.
 2-8           SECTION 2.  The Texas Department of Health shall study the
 2-9     feasibility of requiring or permitting each county, public
2-10     hospital, and hospital district to issue an identification card to
2-11     an eligible county resident or eligible service area resident, as
2-12     appropriate, that identifies the resident as eligible for health
2-13     care assistance under Chapter 61, Health and Safety Code.  Not
2-14     later than December 15, 2000, the department shall report the
2-15     results of its study to the governor, lieutenant governor, and
2-16     speaker of the house of representatives.
2-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-22     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-23     passage, and it is so enacted.