AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Current law establishes the requirements for a county to be eligible for state funds to assist the county in providing health care services to certain indigent county residents.  Such eligibility requirements include the county spending a certain amount in a state fiscal year on indigent health care services. Interested parties report that the cost of health care provided to an indigent inmate of a county jail or other county correctional facility currently cannot be credited toward eligibility for state assistance unless the inmate completes an application for indigent health care assistance.  The parties express concern that many inmates are unwilling to provide the required financial information on the application, thereby preventing a county from using those expenditures to qualify for state assistance.  H.B. 2454 seeks to address this concern by simplifying the process for counties to comply with the requirements to access state assistance funds for indigent health care.

 

H.B. 2454 amends current law relating to reimbursement of health care services rendered by a health care provider for an inmate of a county jail or another county correctional facility.

 

[Note: While the statutory reference in this bill is to the Texas Department of Health (TDH), the following amendments affect the Department of State Health Services, as the successor agency to TDH.]

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 61.036(c), Health and Safety Code, as follows:

 

(c) Authorizes a county, regardless of the application, documentation, and verification procedures or eligibility standards established by the Texas Department of Health under Subchapter A (General Provisions), to credit an expenditure for an eligible resident toward eligibility for state assistance if the eligible resident received the health care services at:

 

(1) a hospital maintained or operated by a state agency that has a contract with the county to provide health care services;

 

(2) a federally qualified health center delivering federally qualified health center services, as those terms are defined in 42 U.S.C. Sections 1396d(l)(2)(A) and (B), that has a contract with the county to provide health care services; or

 

(3) a hospital or other health care provider if the eligible resident is an inmate of a county jail or another county correctional facility.

 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2013.