SRC-MKV H.C.R. 84 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.C.R. 84
77R8540 MKS-DBy: Maxey (Ellis, Rodney)
Health & Human Services
5/2/2001
Engrossed


DIGEST 

Federally funded community-based safety-net programs play a significant
role in the delivery of medical care and related services to the large
number of Americans who cannot afford health insurance.  Texas' large size
and shared border with Mexico are geographical factors that present the
state with unique challenges in serving its residents and increase the
importance of all types of safety-net health care programs, and a large
number of Texas counties are federally designated as medically underserved
areas.  These medically underserved areas are characterized by a high
percentage of elderly residents, high poverty rates, high infant mortality
rates, and a lower ratio of primary care providers than the national
average, and these areas typically serve working poor, minority members,
foreign born, or noncitizens who rely on community-based safety-net
programs for medical care.  Community health centers are a cost-effective
way to provide primary and preventive care to populations lacking medical
care and can reduce the inappropriate use of emergency rooms and
hospitalizations.  Increasing the number of community health centers would
be a benefit for those Texans living in poor and underserved communities as
well as for Texas' noncitizen residents who are uninsured by providing
greater access to regular sources of both primary and care and preventive
health services and allowing medical services to target common health
problems in these populations. 


PURPOSE 

As proposed, H.C.R. 27 submits the following resolutions:

Provides that the 77th Legislature respectfully requests the Congress of
the United States to expand the number of and funding for federally funded
community health centers and other federal community-based safety-net
programs specifically directed to poor and medically underserved
communities in states with the highest numbers of uninsured residents.
Provides that copies of this resolution be forwarded by the secretary of
state to certain federal officials.