BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 3105 |
By: Bonnen, Greg |
Public Health |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties believe that all Texans should have access to person-centered, culturally appropriate, understandable, accurate, and actionable health information and services. Citing certain national health literacy campaigns, the parties assert that efforts to improve health literacy should support lifelong learning and the development of skills to promote good health, catalyze conversations between patients and providers, and lead to more evidence-based decision making. The parties recognize that patients play an important role in the process but contend that the professionals in the health care and public health systems must take the lead in these efforts and work together to ensure that health information and services can be understood and used by all Texans. C.S.H.B. 3105 seeks to improve health literacy in Texas.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3105 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Texas Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency to establish the multi-stakeholder advisory committee on health literacy to study and make recommendations to improve health literacy in Texas. The bill defines "health literacy" as the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic health information and services so the person may make appropriate health decisions about the treatment, payment, or coverage of health care and navigate complexities in the health care system. The bill provides for the composition, organization, and administration of the advisory committee, including the provision of administrative support by the institute, and sets out provisions relating to compensation and reimbursement of committee members.
C.S.H.B. 3105 requires the advisory committee to develop an expanded definition of health literacy that includes a focus on a patient's need for transparent information about the cost and quality of health care and available treatment options; to examine the impact of low health literacy on health care cost and quality outcomes; and to develop policy recommendations, based on the findings of the advisory committee, to promote the use of plain language by health care providers, to promote simplified enrollment forms, to develop health literacy resources for both providers and consumers of health care, and to develop programs to support improved health literacy.
C.S.H.B. 3105 requires the advisory committee to prepare a report that includes the committee's findings and policy recommendations and, not later than October 1, 2016, to submit the report to the institute for inclusion in the institute's biennial report and recommendations to the legislature. The bill authorizes the advisory committee to consult with and invite participation from groups, organizations, and agencies as needed to accomplish the goals of the committee. The bill requires the appropriate appointing authorities, not later than December 1, 2015, to appoint the members of the advisory committee. The bill's provisions expire, and the advisory committee is abolished, on September 1, 2017.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 3105 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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