LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
March 11, 2003

TO:
Honorable Dianne White Delisi, Chair, House Committee on State Health Care Expenditures, Select
 
FROM:
John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB1343 by Uresti (Relating to providing interpreter services to recipients of medical assistance or their parents or guardians.), As Introduced



Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB1343, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($6,964,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2005.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.



Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2004 ($3,482,000)
2005 ($3,482,000)
2006 ($3,482,000)
2007 ($3,482,000)
2008 ($3,482,000)




Fiscal Year Probable (Cost) from
GENERAL REVENUE FUND
1 		Probable (Cost) from
FEDERAL FUNDS
555
2004 ($3,482,000) ($3,482,000)
2005 ($3,482,000) ($3,482,000)
2006 ($3,482,000) ($3,482,000)
2007 ($3,482,000) ($3,482,000)
2008 ($3,482,000) ($3,482,000)

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would amend Chapter 32 of the Human Resource Code by adding Section 32.024 requiring interpreter services for the "deaf" or "hard of hearing" who are either a Medicaid recipient or the parent or guardian of a Medicaid recipient.

Methodology

The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) included the following assumptions pursuant to implementing provisions of the bill.

 

1. The HHSC indicated that the provision of interpreter services would be an administrative expense under Medicaid, which is matched at 50/50 percent (State/Federal). Interpreters may not be enrolled as Medicaid providers, according to HHSC, because they are not licensed or certified practitioners of the healing arts. 

 

2. HHSC stated that interpreter services would be provided through an administrative contract and assumed the average cost of interpreter services to be $68 per session (2 hours at $34/hour at Level III) with the cost of the contract being held constant across all five years for the estimate.

 

3. HHSC estimated that 34,137 clients or 3-5 percent of Medicaid clients would require interpreter services. The Commission assumed that services would be required 3 times a year which would be 102,412 services provided annually.


Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.


Source Agencies:
324 Department Of Human Services, 501 Department Of Health, 517 Commission On Alcohol And Drug Abuse, 529 Health And Human Services Commission, 530 Department Of Protective And Regulatory Services, 655 Department Of Mental Health And Mental Retardation
LBB Staff:
JK, JO, EB, KF, ML