HBA-MPM H.B. 825 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 825
By: Gray
Public Health
3/5/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Nearly 600,000 low-income children in Texas are eligible for health
benefits under Medicaid, yet remain unenrolled.  The Texas Medicaid program
requires families to come in for a face-to-face interview and to complete
numerous forms and verifications.  Even upon completion of all the
application steps, children do not have continuous eligibility in the
program, but receive eligibility cards on a monthly basis and undergo
recertification every six months.  The CHIP application and enrollment
process has none of the barriers of the Medicaid program and provides a
period of 12-month continuous eligibility for enrolled children. House Bill
825 provides a 12-month period of continuous eligibility in the Medicaid
program for children under 19. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Health and Human Services
Commission in SECTION 1 (Section 32.0261, Human Resources Code) and SECTION
3 of this bill. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 825 amends the Human Resources Code to require the Health and
Human Services Commission or an agency operating part of the medical
assistance program (HHSC) no later than October 1, 2001 to adopt rules in
accordance with federal law to provide for a period of continuous
eligibility for a child under 19 years of age who is eligible for the
medical assistance program.  The bill requires that the rules provide that
the child remain eligible for medical assistance without additional review
by HHSC and regardless of changes in the child's resources or income until
the earlier of the first anniversary of the date on which the child's
eligibility was determined or the child's 19th birthday. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.