HBA-NRS H.B. 2284 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2284
By: Kitchen
Public Health
3/12/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Several years ago the federal government established Medicare cost-sharing
programs to ease the overwhelming burden of Medicare costs. These programs
cover some or all of the high costs of Medicare premiums, deductibles, and
co-insurance for qualified individuals, especially individuals with
disabilities under age 65 and senior citizens through Medicaid.
Unfortunately, the programs may not have been fully utilized. Millions of
eligible low-income Medicare beneficiaries are paying an enormous price for
Medicarerelated costs that should be covered by the programs. Texas has a
high rate of individuals who are eligible for benefits but are not enrolled
in Medicare cost-sharing programs, with estimates of between 370,000 and
404,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Texas who meet the low income and assets
criteria, but are still paying $194 to $212 million per year in costs that
should be covered by the government. House Bill 2284 prohibits the Health
and Human Services Commission from considering the assets and resources of
certain Medicare recipients when determining eligibility for Medicare
cost-sharing programs. 

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. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2284 amends the Human Resources Code to prohibit the Health and
Human Services Commission, when determining a person's eligibility for
Medicare cost-sharing payments, from considering the assets and resources
of a person who is:  

 _a qualified Medicare beneficiary having Medicare Part A, a low monthly
income, and limited money or assets to pay for health care services;  

 _a specified low-income Medicare beneficiary who has Medicare Part A, a
low monthly income, and limited resources;  

 _a qualified disabled and working individual whose income does not exceed
200 percent of the official poverty line; or 

 _qualifying individuals who have Medicare Part A, a low income, and
limited money or assets to pay for Medicare services and who do not meet
Medicaid eligibility requirements, as defined by federal law. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.