BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2466

By: Davis, Sarah

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding the impact of a mother's health on the development and well-being of her children and interested parties contend that diagnosing and treating maternal depression early is crucial to the health of infants, including in certain low income households. Interested parties note that since a mother is very likely to attend a checkup with her child, pediatricians are in a unique position to screen for maternal depression and refer mothers for follow-up treatment. H.B. 2466 seeks to build on this relationship and promote increased screening for postpartum depression by creating a postpartum depression screening benefit for the mothers of current CHIP and Medicaid enrollees.

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.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTIONS 1 and 2 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2466 amends the Health and Safety Code and Human Resources Code to require the services covered under the child health plan program (CHIP) to include a maternal depression screening for a CHIP enrollee's mother, regardless of whether the mother is also a CHIP enrollee, to be performed during a covered well-child or other office visit for the enrollee that occurs before the enrollee's first birthday and to require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to provide Medicaid reimbursement for such a screening for a Medicaid recipient's mother, regardless of whether the mother is also a Medicaid recipient, to be performed during a covered examination for the recipient under the Texas health steps comprehensive care program that occurs before the recipient's first birthday, respectively.  The bill requires the executive commissioner of HHSC to adopt rules necessary to implement the bill's provisions and requires the rules to be based on clinical and empirical evidence concerning maternal depression and information provided by relevant physicians and behavioral health organizations. The bill requires HHSC to seek, accept, and spend any federal funds that are available for the bill's purposes.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.