SRC-MKV S.B. 505 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterS.B. 505
By: Brown, J. E. "Buster"
Education
6/11/2001
Enrolled


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Students enrolled at health component institutions of higher education are
exposed to greater health risks than other student populations, due to
direct patient contact in medical and dental care facilities. Such students
are usually older, not eligible for health insurance coverage under their
parent's policy, and often uninsured.  S.B. 505 authorizes governing boards
of institutions of higher education to require students at component health
institutions to obtain health insurance while enrolled at such
institutions, and to determine minimum coverage standards for such
insurance.  This bill also allows a student to obtain health insurance
coverage from another source, and to be provisionally enrolled for one
semester without health insurance, in order to give the student time to
obtain the required minimum coverage. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the governing board of a
medical and dental unit as defined by Section 61.003 (Definitions),
Education Code, in SECTION 1 (Section 51.961, Education Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 51Z, Education Code, by adding Section 51.961,
as follows: 

Sec. 51.961.  STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE.  (a) Authorizes the governing board
of a medical and dental unit (governing board)  to require a student
enrolled at a medical and dental unit to have in effect during the calendar
year of enrollment a health insurance policy for health care services
received by the student. 

(b) Requires the governing board to determine the minimum coverage
standards for health insurance required under this section. 

(c) Requires the medical and dental unit to provide a reasonable estimate
of the cost of the health insurance coverage within the student's cost of
education for financial aid purposes, if the student agrees in writing. 

(d) Authorizes a student to be provisionally enrolled at the medical and
dental unit for one academic session without coverage in order to allow the
student time to obtain the coverage, if the governing board requires health
insurance coverage for students under Subsection (a). 

(e) Authorizes the governing board to adopt such other rules and
regulations as it determines necessary to carry out the purposes of this
section. 

(f) Provides that in this section, "governing board" and "medical and
dental unit" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2001.