SB 1648, Hse 2nd Rdg, Amnd #2

Amend SB 1648 (house committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by adding Sections 531.0501, 531.0512, and 531.0605 to read as follows:

Sec. 531.0501. MEDICAID WAIVER PROGRAMS: INTEREST LIST MANAGEMENT. (a) The commission, in consultation with the Intellectual and Developmental Disability System Redesign Advisory Committee established under Section 534.053 and the STAR Kids Managed Care Advisory Committee, shall study the feasibility of creating an online portal for individuals to request to be placed and check the individual's placement on a Medicaid waiver program interest list. As part of the study, the commission shall determine the most cost-effective automated method for determining the level of need of an individual seeking services through a Medicaid waiver program.

(b) Not later than January 1, 2023, the commission shall prepare and submit a report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over health and human services that summarizes the commission's findings and conclusions from the study.

(d) The commission shall develop a protocol in the office of the ombudsman to improve the capture and updating of contact information for an individual who contacts the office of the ombudsman regarding Medicaid waiver programs or services.

Sec. 531.0512. NOTIFICATION REGARDING CONSUMER DIRECTION MODEL. The commission shall:

(1) develop a procedure to:

(A) verify that a Medicaid recipient or the recipient's parent or legal guardian is informed regarding the consumer direction model and provided the option to choose to receive care under that model; and

(B) if the individual declines to receive care under the consumer direction model, document the declination; and

(2) ensure that each Medicaid managed care organization implements the procedure.

Sec. 531.0605. ADVANCING CARE FOR EXCEPTIONAL KIDS PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The commission shall collaborate with Medicaid managed care organizations and the STAR Kids Managed Care Advisory Committee to develop and implement a pilot program that is substantially similar to the program described by Section 3, Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019 (Pub. L. No. 116-16), to provide coordinated care through a health home to children with complex medical conditions.

(b) The commission shall seek guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the United States Department of Health and Human Services regarding the design of the program and, based on the guidance, may actively seek and apply for federal funding to implement the program.

(1) a summary of the commission's implementation of the pilot program; and

(2) if the pilot program has been operating for a period sufficient to obtain necessary data, a summary of the commission's evaluation of the effect of the pilot program on the coordination of care for children with complex medical conditions and a recommendation as to whether the pilot program should be continued, expanded, or terminated.