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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a pilot program for providing services to certain |
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children under the Medicaid medical transportation program. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 531.024141 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 531.024141. PILOT PROJECT FOR PROVIDING MEDICAL |
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TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM SERVICES FOR CHILDREN ACCOMPANYING PREGNANT |
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MOTHERS. (a) The commission shall develop and implement a pilot |
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program to enable an eligible child described by Subsection (b) to |
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receive medical transportation program services and to provide |
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reimbursement for those services in order to: |
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(1) increase access to prenatal and postpartum care; |
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(2) reduce pregnancy-related complications; |
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(3) improve health outcomes for pregnant women and |
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infants; and |
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(4) reduce the maternal mortality and morbidity rate. |
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(b) A child is eligible for inclusion in the pilot program |
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established under this section: |
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(1) if the child's mother is: |
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(A) a recipient of Medicaid during a pregnancy; |
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and |
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(B) is using medical transportation program |
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services to travel to and from a covered health care service related |
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to the pregnancy, including postpartum care; and |
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(2) regardless of whether the child is also a |
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recipient of Medicaid. |
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(c) The pilot program shall be implemented in more than one |
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health care service region. |
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(d) The commission, with the assistance of the maternal |
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mortality and morbidity task force established under Chapter 34, |
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Health and Safety Code, shall evaluate the results of the pilot |
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program and determine whether the program is effective in |
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increasing access to prenatal and postpartum care, reducing |
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pregnancy-related complications, improving health outcomes for |
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pregnant women and their newborn children, and reducing the |
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maternal mortality and morbidity rate. The evaluation must be |
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based on: |
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(1) the health outcomes of the pregnant women whose |
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children participated in the program and of the women's newborn |
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children; or |
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(2) an assessment of the overall health care and |
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pregnancy outcomes and trends in this state during the period of the |
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program. |
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(e) Not later than September 1, 2019, the commission shall |
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report to the legislature on the results of the pilot program. The |
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report must include: |
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(1) a summary of the commission's evaluation under |
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Subsection (d); and |
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(2) the impact on costs under the medical |
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transportation program. |
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(f) The executive commissioner may adopt rules to implement |
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this section. |
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(g) This section expires September 1, 2019. |
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SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act |
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a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a |
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federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, |
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the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or |
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authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the |
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waiver or authorization is granted. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |