Honorable Myra Crownover, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3473 by Bonnen, Greg (Relating to the provision of a cranial molding orthosis under the medical assistance and child health plan programs.), As Introduced
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time, but are expected to have a significant negative impact to General Revenue Funds based on the number of children who could potentially qualify for the expanded Medicaid benefit and the cost for each child.
The bill would expand the conditions under which a cranial molding orthosis is a covered benefit in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The bill would be effective immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house; otherwise, the bill would be effective September 1, 2015.
The incidence of the conditions described in the bill among the Medicaid and CHIP population is not known. It is also not known how many children meeting the conditions would see a doctor who would prescribe the cranial molding orthosis. An average of approximately 270,000 infants are covered through the Medicaid and CHIP programs in any month; the unduplicated number of children aged three to 18 months covered each year would be higher. The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) estimates a cost per orthosis of approximately $2,400. The cost to provide 1,000 orthoses would be $2.4 million in All Funds, including $1.0 million in General Revenue Funds.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.