HBA-NRS H.B. 2419 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2419 By: Coleman Public Health 7/18/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Nonprofit hospitals or hospital systems are required to devote a specific amount of their net patient revenues to charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care. House Bill 2419 further develops charity care reporting requirements and requires clarification of the charity care policies of nonprofit hospitals and hospital systems. 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 2419 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize a nonprofit hospital or hospital system under contract with a local county to provide indigent health care services under the Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act to credit unreimbursed costs from direct care provided to an eligible county resident toward meeting the hospital's or system's charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care requirement. The bill requires each hospital to provide to each person who seeks any health care service at the hospital notice of the charity care program and the program's charity care and eligibility policies. The bill requires each hospital to publish annually a notice of the hospital's charity care program and policies in a local newspaper. The bill requires the Texas Department of Health to publish annually a manual that lists each nonprofit hospital in this state with a brief summary of the charity care policies and community benefits that the nonprofit hospital provides. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.