By Coleman                                            H.C.R. No. 96
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1     Directing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to
 1-2     maximize federal funding for outreach activities related to
 1-3     children's health insurance.
 1-4           WHEREAS, Access to health care services is vital to the
 1-5     long-term health, welfare, happiness and success of Texas children;
 1-6     and
 1-7           WHEREAS, Many of the children in Texas face significant
 1-8     barriers to accessing health care services, as evidenced by recent
 1-9     studies showing that almost one and one-half million, or one out of
1-10     every five, Texas children lack health insurance; and
1-11           WHEREAS, As many as one million of these children may
1-12     currently be eligible for health insurance through the state
1-13     Medicaid program or prospectively be eligible for the new state
1-14     Childrens' Health Insurance Program; and
1-15           WHEREAS, Without diligent efforts by the state to seek out
1-16     and enroll eligible children in state programs and link ineligible
1-17     but still needy children to private insurers, these children may
1-18     not access health insurance and therefore never reach their full
1-19     potential as adults; and
1-20           WHEREAS, The federal government has made available
1-21     approximately $27.5 million in matching funds for the purpose of
1-22     outreach activities and has offered these funds at an enhanced
1-23     matching rate; and
1-24           WHEREAS, The federal statute that created this pool of funds
 2-1     specifies that the funds may only be accessed during the first
 2-2     twelve quarters that the state receives Temporary Assistance to
 2-3     Needy Families funds and that the state currently is in its tenth
 2-4     quarter receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funds;
 2-5     now, therefore, be it
 2-6           RESOLVED, That the 76th Texas Legislature and the State of
 2-7     Texas hereby direct the Texas Health and Human Services Commission,
 2-8     in conjunction with the appropriate health and human services state
 2-9     agencies, to maximize the amount of Texas' federal receipts from
2-10     this new funding source as soon as possible; and, be it further
2-11           RESOLVED, that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission
2-12     utilize these funds to implement targeted and culturally
2-13     appropriate community-based outreach programs, develop educational
2-14     programs relating to current or future beneficiaries, simplify
2-15     eligibility and enrollment processes, train eligibility workers,
2-16     providers and the community on available resources, update
2-17     eligibility systems, and target individuals at risk of losing
2-18     Medicaid benefits due to welfare reform.