Amend CSSB 1 (house committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered ARTICLE to the bill and renumbering subsequent ARTICLES and SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
ARTICLE ____. COUNTY HIV AND AIDS SERVICES MEDICAID WAIVER PROGRAM
SECTION ____.01. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 531.09721 to read as follows:
Sec. 531.09721. COUNTY HIV AND AIDS SERVICES MEDICAID WAIVER PROGRAM. (a) If feasible and cost-effective, the commission may apply for a waiver from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or another appropriate federal agency to more efficiently leverage the use of state and local funds in order to maximize the receipt of federal Medicaid matching funds by providing counties in the state with the flexibility to provide benefits under the Medicaid program to individuals who:
(1) have a net family income that is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level; and
(2) are eligible to receive medical treatment for HIV or AIDS through the county.
(b) In establishing the waiver program required under this section, the commission shall:
(1) ensure that the state is a prudent purchaser of the health care services that are needed for the individuals described by Subsection (a);
(2) solicit broad-based input from interested persons;
(3) ensure that the benefits received by an individual through the county are not reduced once the individual is enrolled in the waiver program; and
(4) employ the use of intergovernmental transfers and other procedures to maximize the receipt of federal Medicaid matching funds.