By Coleman H.B. No. 2419 77R12549 JMG-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to charity care requirements for certain hospitals. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 311.045, Health and Safety Code, is 1-5 amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: 1-6 (f) A nonprofit hospital or hospital system under contract 1-7 with a local county to provide indigent health care services under 1-8 Chapter 61 may credit unreimbursed costs from direct care provided 1-9 to an eligible county resident toward meeting the nonprofit 1-10 hospital's or system's charity care and government-sponsored 1-11 indigent health care requirement. 1-12 SECTION 2. Section 311.046(d), Health and Safety Code, is 1-13 amended to read as follows: 1-14 (d) Each hospital shall provide, to each person who seeks 1-15 any health care service at the hospital, notice, in appropriate 1-16 languages, if possible, about the charity care program, including 1-17 the charity care and eligibility policies of the program, and how 1-18 to apply for charity care. Such notice shall also be conspicuously 1-19 posted in the general waiting area, in the waiting area for 1-20 emergency services, in the business office, and in such other 1-21 locations as the hospital deems likely to give notice of the 1-22 charity care program and policies. Each hospital shall annually 1-23 publish notice of the hospital's charity care program and policies 1-24 in a local newspaper of general circulation in the county. Each 2-1 notice under this subsection must be written in language readily 2-2 understandable to the average reader. 2-3 SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 311, Health and Safety 2-4 Code, is amended by adding Section 311.0461 to read as follows: 2-5 Sec. 311.0461. INFORMATIONAL MANUAL. The department shall 2-6 annually publish a manual that lists each nonprofit hospital in 2-7 this state with a brief summary of the charity care policies and 2-8 community benefits that the nonprofit hospital provides. 2-9 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.