BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 800

By: Howard

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised about the high rate of teen pregnancy in Texas. There have been calls to ensure that the child health plan (CHIP) is utilized to help reduce the number of teen pregnancies. C.S.H.B. 800 seeks to address this issue by requiring CHIP to cover certain prescription contraceptive drugs and devices.

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

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 800 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the child health plan (CHIP) to provide as covered benefits prescription contraceptive drugs or devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The bill expressly does not require coverage of abortifacients or any other drug or device that terminates a pregnancy. The bill authorizes CHIP to provide as covered benefits prescription contraceptive drugs or devices for an enrolled child younger than 18 years of age for the purpose of primary and preventive reproductive health care only if the prescribing health care provider receives written consent for the prescription from the enrolled child's parent, guardian, or managing conservator or from a person authorized to consent to a child's treatment under Family Code provisions relating to consent by a non-parent or a child.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 800 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a person authorized to consent to a child's treatment under specified Family Code provisions as a person who may give written consent for the prescription.