1-1 By: Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Moncrief) H.B. No. 2419 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2001; 1-3 May 7, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Health 1-4 and Human Services; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to charity care requirements for certain hospitals. 1-9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-10 SECTION 1. Section 311.045, Health and Safety Code, is 1-11 amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: 1-12 (f) A nonprofit hospital or hospital system under contract 1-13 with a local county to provide indigent health care services under 1-14 Chapter 61 may credit unreimbursed costs from direct care provided 1-15 to an eligible county resident toward meeting the nonprofit 1-16 hospital's or system's charity care and government-sponsored 1-17 indigent health care requirement. 1-18 SECTION 2. Section 311.046(d), Health and Safety Code, is 1-19 amended to read as follows: 1-20 (d) Each hospital shall provide, to each person who seeks 1-21 any health care service at the hospital, notice, in appropriate 1-22 languages, if possible, about the charity care program, including 1-23 the charity care and eligibility policies of the program, and how 1-24 to apply for charity care. Such notice shall also be conspicuously 1-25 posted in the general waiting area, in the waiting area for 1-26 emergency services, in the business office, and in such other 1-27 locations as the hospital deems likely to give notice of the 1-28 charity care program and policies. Each hospital shall annually 1-29 publish notice of the hospital's charity care program and policies 1-30 in a local newspaper of general circulation in the county. Each 1-31 notice under this subsection must be written in language readily 1-32 understandable to the average reader. 1-33 SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 311, Health and Safety 1-34 Code, is amended by adding Section 311.0461 to read as follows: 1-35 Sec. 311.0461. INFORMATIONAL MANUAL. The department shall 1-36 annually publish a manual that lists each nonprofit hospital in 1-37 this state with a brief summary of the charity care policies and 1-38 community benefits that the nonprofit hospital provides. 1-39 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-40 * * * * *