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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a study to determine the effect on the health care |
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infrastructure in this state if the state Medicaid program is |
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abolished or a severe reduction in federal matching money under the |
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program occurs. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. (a) The Health and Human Services Commission and |
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Texas Department of Insurance shall conduct a joint study to |
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determine the effect on the health care infrastructure in this |
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state, including health care delivery mechanisms, if the state |
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Medicaid program is abolished or the amount of federal matching |
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money available to the state under the program is severely reduced. |
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The study must address the effect on the availability of and |
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accessibility to health care services provided under the state |
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Medicaid program as of the effective date of this Act. |
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(b) As part of the study, the Health and Human Services |
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Commission and Texas Department of Insurance shall: |
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(1) identify all available health care resources |
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throughout the state, both public and private, that are not funded |
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wholly or partly by the state Medicaid program; |
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(2) determine the extent to which the state Medicaid |
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program has become a substitute for health care coverage by private |
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health care providers or charitable care providers, and, if the |
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study finds that a crowd-out effect has occurred, recommend |
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policies the state should implement to limit the crowd-out effect |
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and increase the number of private health care and charitable care |
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providers; |
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(3) identify which population groups receiving |
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services under the state Medicaid program as of the effective date |
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of this Act would be most at risk of losing those services if the |
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program were abolished or the amount of federal matching money |
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available to the state under the program were severely reduced; and |
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(4) determine the effect abolishment of the state |
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Medicaid program would have on local health care service providers |
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and local financing mechanisms that provide or support care to |
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individuals who cannot afford necessary health care services. |
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(c) Not later than July 1, 2010, the Health and Human |
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Services Commission and Texas Department of Insurance shall submit |
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a joint report of the commission's and department's findings and |
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conclusions resulting from the study, and any recommendations |
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required under Subsection (b)(2) of this section, to the lieutenant |
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governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the |
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presiding officers of the standing committees of the senate and |
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house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over health |
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and human services. The report must include: |
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(1) a statewide plan for making a transition of the |
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provision and delivery of health care services from the state |
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Medicaid program to a new health care delivery system if the program |
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were abolished or the amount of federal matching money available to |
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the state under the program were severely reduced; and |
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(2) an analysis of the fiscal impact to this state of |
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continuing to provide health care services to population groups |
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served by the state Medicaid program if the program were abolished |
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or the amount of federal matching money available to the state under |
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the program were severely reduced, including a fiscal analysis for |
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each phase of the transition plan described by Subdivision (1) of |
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this subsection. |
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(d) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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Services Commission and the commissioner of insurance shall adopt |
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the transition plan required by Subsection (c)(1) of this section |
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as a contingency plan for transitioning recipients of health care |
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services from the state Medicaid program to a new health care |
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delivery system. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |