Subject search results

34 Document(s) [ Subject: ]

Committee: House Human Services
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Border issues | Child abuse prevention | Child Protective Services | Coronavirus | Data management | Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of | Family preservation | Federal funds | Healthy Texas Women | Long-term care | Managed care | Medicaid | Medicare | Senior citizens | Services for persons with disabilities | Unaccompanied minors | Undocumented immigrants |
Library Call Number: L1836.87 H88
Session: 87th R.S. (2021)
Online version: View report [39 pages  File size: 2,582 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Monitor the impact of children, including unaccompanied minors, crossing the Texas-Mexico border on the Department of Family and Protective Services child protective services programs. Consider ways to encourage consistent, transparent, and timely review of abuse and neglect of these children. Consider strategies to ensure better coordination and collaboration among local agencies, faith-based organizations, the private sector, non-profits, and law enforcement to reduce the incidence of abuse and neglect fatalities and human trafficking of migrating children. Identify any particularized services that these children will need and assess the costs of providing these services.
2. Review the ongoing development of federal laws, rules, and regulations associated with the distribution of the federal pandemic recovery funds, including reporting requirements, and make recommendations to the House Committee on Appropriations for use of the funds to respond to the Texas-Mexico border crisis.
3. Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
  • Legislation implementing the Healthy Families, Healthy Texas initiative, including:
    • HB133, 87th R.S. relating to the provision of benefits under Medicaid and the Healthy Texas Women program; and
    • Relevant provisions of HB 2658, 87th R.S. relating to the administration and operation of the Medicaid managed care program, especially those provisions that relate to continuous eligibility for a child for Medicaid; and
  • HB 3041, 87th R.S. related to the implementation of the Family Preservation Services Pilot Program.
4. Complete study of assigned charges related to the Texas-Mexico border issued in June 2021.
5. Evaluate current prevention and early intervention programs and make recommendations for improving the effectiveness of these programs in reducing child abuse and neglect.
6. Monitor implementation of SB 1, 87th R.S., Rider 30 (Health and Human Services Commission) and make recommendations for reducing the interest list for waiver services for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and reducing associated staffing shortages.
7. Evaluate further action needed to improve the safety and quality of the foster care system, including preventing children in foster care from being without a placement and increasing recruitment of foster families. Identify methods to strengthen Child Protective Services processes and services, focusing on efforts for family preservation and eliminating fatalities within the foster care system. This evaluation should:
  • Study the causes for children without placement;
  • Assess the safety concerns for children without placement, including the use of out-of- state and temporary emergency placement for children without placement; injuries while in the care of Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) employees; and exposure to child sex trafficking; and
  • Study how and why children without placement frequently enter the juvenile justice and adult criminal justice systems and the steps DFPS is taking to identify and prevent these instances.
8. Assess the quality and effectiveness of the DFPS IMPACT system for security, transparency, and accuracy. Review DFPS processes relating to the integrity of digital case management. Evaluate whether DFPS data collection adequately responds to child wellbeing indicators.
9. Examine the long-term services and support system of care in Texas. Study workforce challenges for both institutional and community services. Assess opportunities to improve patient safety at senior living facilities. Consider mechanisms to promote a stable, sustainable, and quality-based long-term care system to address current and future needs of the state.
10. Monitor federal decisions that may impact the delivery and financial stability of the state's health programs, including: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ rescission of its prior approval of the State’s 1115 Waiver, the state and federal negotiations of the Medicaid directed payment programs (including hospital finance methods), federal changes to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital Program and the exclusion of certain costs from the uncompensated care program authorized through the 1115 Waiver.
Supporting documents
Committee: House Appropriations
Title: Subcommittee on Disaster Impact and Recovery, subcommittee meeting handouts and testimony, April 18, 2018 (Economic Stabilization Fund)
Library Call Number:
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View document [209 pages  File size: 12,113 kb]
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Child abuse | Child Protective Services | Emergency management | Employees Retirement System of Texas | Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of | Foster care | Health and Human Services Commission, Texas | Health care costs | Healthy Texas Women | Hurricane Harvey | Insurance, Texas Department of | Juvenile justice system | Managed care | Medicaid | Natural disasters | Opioids | Prescription drugs | Public health | State Health Services, Texas Department of | Substance abuse | Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
Library Call Number: L1836.85 H349
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View report [98 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Review the state's response to Hurricane Harvey with a focus on public health efforts at the local and state level. The review should include an analysis of the state and local response related to vector control, immunization needs, utilization of health-related volunteers, adequacy of an emergency medical network, evacuation of vulnerable populations from state operated or regulated facilities, and coordination between all levels of government. Recommend any legislative changes necessary to improve public health response and coordination during and after a disaster.
2. Evaluate the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the capacity of out-of-home placements and care for youth involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Determine how the state can ensure support is available to provide appropriate care as close to home as possible as facilities and offices are rebuilt.
3. Child Welfare: Review the efficacy and quality of services offered to ensure family preservation while in the Family Based Social Services (FESS) stage of service at the Department of Family and Protective Services. Make recommendations to better track quality of services and link payments to providers of these services to outcomes for families and children. Analyze the Department of Family and Protective Services' progress in meeting statutory requirements related to timely visits to children involved in a reported case of abuse or neglect. Make recommendations to further improve the timeliness of these visits. Review services and supports provided to children in Permanent Managing Conservatorship of the state, and the level of preparedness given to youth aging out of state care. Examine the impact of recent legislation related to these populations, and make recommendations to ensure youth in care are ready for adulthood and to reduce the likelihood of intergenerational perpetuation of child maltreatment. Assess the effectiveness of public and private agency efforts to recruit and retain foster parents. Identify barriers to entry and obstacles that prevent interested families from continuing to provide foster care. Recommend solutions to increase foster recruitment and address non-renewals, especially in first-time foster parents.
4. Substance Abuse/Opioids: Review substance use prevention, intervention, and recovery programs operated or funded by the state and make recommendations to enhance services, outreach, and agency coordination. Examine the adequacy of substance use, services for pregnant and postpartum women enrolled in Medicaid or the Healthy Texas Women Program and recommend ways to improve substance use related health outcomes for these women and their newborns. Examine the impact of recent legislative efforts to curb overprescribing and doctor shopping via the prescription monitoring program and recommend ways to expand on current efforts.
5. Medicaid Managed Care Quality and Compliance: Review the Health and Human Services Commission's efforts to improve quality and efficiency in the Medicaid program, including pay-for-quality initiatives in Medicaid managed care. Compare alternative payment models and value-based payment arrangements with providers in Medicaid managed care, the Employees Retirement System, and the Teachers Retirement System, and identify areas for cross-collaboration and coordination among these entities. Evaluate the commission's efforts to ensure Medicaid managed care organizations' compliance with contractual obligations and the use of incentives and sanctions to enforce compliance. Assess the commission's progress in implementing competitive bidding practices for Medicaid managed care contracts and other initiatives to ensure the best value for taxpayer dollars used in Medicaid managed care contracts.
6. Health Care Cost Transparency: Study efforts by the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Department of Insurance to increase health care cost transparency, including a review of the Texas Health Care Information Collection (THCIC) system, and the Consumer Guide to Healthcare. Recommend ways to make provider and facility fees more accessible to consumers to improve health care cost transparency, increase quality of care, and create a more informed health care consumer base.
7. Monitoring Charge: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, 85th Legislature and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation, including but not limited to:
• Initiatives to increase capacity and reduce waitlists in the mental health system, including the construction of state hospitals and new community grant programs;
• Initiatives to better understand the causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, including the impact of legislation passed during the first special session of the 85th Legislature. Recommend ways to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and methods to better collect data related to maternal mortality and morbidity;
• Initiatives intended to improve child safety, Child Protective Services workforce retention, and development of additional capacity in the foster care system. Make additional recommendations to ensure children with high levels of medical or mental health needs receive timely access to services in the least restrictive setting;
• Efforts to transfer case management of foster children and families to Single Source Continuum Contractors (SSCCs). Monitor the progress of this transition and make recommendations to ensure the process provides continuity of services for children and families and ongoing community engagement;
• Initiatives to strengthen oversight of long-term care facilities to ensure safety and improve quality for residents and clients of these entities; and
• Abortion complications and other reporting legislation that was passed by the 85th Legislature.
Committee: House Human Services
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Adoption | Assisted living facilities | Child abuse | Child abuse prevention | Child Protective Services | Early childhood intervention | Emergency management | Family preservation | Foster care | Hurricane Harvey | Long-term care | Managed care | Medicaid | Medicaid program management | Mentally ill persons | Natural disasters | Nursing homes | Pharmaceutical industry | Prescription drugs | State supported living centers | Substance abuse | Tropical storms |
Library Call Number: L1836.85 H88
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View report [50 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Study the impact of Hurricane Harvey and the response to the storm on individuals living in long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, state supported living centers, licensed community group homes, and children in the foster care system. Identify and recommend necessary solutions to ensure appropriate disaster-related protocols are in place to keep vulnerable Texans protected. Also, identify any challenges state agencies experienced in responding to the storm or during recovery efforts.
2. Review the history and any future roll-out of Medicaid Managed Care in Texas. Determine the impact managed care has had on the quality and cost of care. In the review, determine: initiatives that managed care organizations (MCOs) have implemented to improve quality of care; whether access to care and network adequacy contractual requirements are sufficient; and whether MCOs have improved the coordination of care. Also determine provider and Medicaid participants’ satisfaction within STAR, STAR Health, Star Kids, and STAR+Plus managed care programs. In addition, review the Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) oversight of managed care organizations, and make recommendations for any needed improvement.
3. Examine the survey process for nursing facilities to determine any duplication of government regulations. Consider recommendations to reduce duplication while ensuring patient safety is preserved.
4. Review the availability of prevention and early intervention programs and determine their effectiveness in reducing maltreatment of children. In addition, review services available to children emancipating out of foster care, as well as services available to families post-adoption. Determine if current services are adequately providing for children's needs and meeting the objectives of the programs. While reviewing possible system improvements for children, follow the work of the Supreme Court of Texas Children's Commissions' Statewide Collaborative of Trauma-Informed Care to determine how trauma-informed care impacts outcomes for children.
5. Analyze the prevalence of children involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) who have a mental illness and/or a substance use disorder. In addition, analyze the prevalence of children involved with CPS due to their guardian's substance abuse or because of an untreated mental illness. Identify methods to strengthen CPS processes and services, including efforts for family preservation; increasing the number of appropriate placements designed for children with high needs; and ensuring Texas Medicaid is providing access to appropriate and effective behavioral health services. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Public Health)
6. Monitor the HHSC's implementation of Rider 219 in Article II of the General Appropriations Act related to prescription drug benefit administration in Medicaid. Analyze the role of pharmacy benefit managers in Texas Medicaid.
7. Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee will also closely monitor the implementation of H.B. 4 (85R), H.B. 5 (85R), H.B. 7 (85R), and S.B. 11 (85R).
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Bail | Child abuse | Child Protective Services | County jails | County roads | Court costs and fees | Criminal justice | Criminal records | Electronic security | Emergency management | Fees | Indigent health care | Jail Standards, Texas Commission on | Managed care | Medicaid | Mentally ill inmates | Mentally ill persons | Natural disasters | Police officers | Suicide |
Library Call Number: L1836.84 C832
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View report [112 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Review jail standards and procedures with regards to potentially mentally ill persons in county jails, as well as issues stemming from interactions between the general public and peace officers. *
2. Study the effectiveness and efficiency of current programs in Texas as well as best practices to determine how to decrease the risk and mitigate the impact of wildfires, floods, and other natural hazards in the wildland-urban interface. Examine the duties, performance, and jurisdictions of water districts, municipalities, Emergency Services Districts, other similar districts, and state offices like the Fire Marshal and Extension Services. Evaluate current regulations and identify best practices. Recommend approaches for hazard mitigation and response to natural disasters. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Urban Affairs)
3. Identify and address potential gaps in counties’ cybersecurity policies and ensure that personal information held by counties and other local governmental entities is secure.
4. Evaluate the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to determine if the Commission has the resources and structure to provide sufficient oversight, regulation, and enforcement over Texas county jails.
5. Review pretrial service and bonding practices throughout the state. Examine factors considered in bail and pre-trial confinement decisions, including the use of risk assessments; assess the effectiveness and efficiency of different systems in terms of cost to local governments and taxpayers, community safety, pretrial absconding rates and rights of the accused. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence)
6. Study the implications and effects on law enforcement agencies and individuals that stem from the publication, republication, or other dissemination for public internet access of mug shots and other criminal history information regarding involvement of an individual in the criminal justice system.
7. Study statutorily mandated services provided by sheriffs and constables, and determine whether fee schedules allow cost recovery without placing undue burdens on recipients of those services.
8. Study the effect of Proposition 5 (SJR 17 (84R)) on the quality of private roadways in counties with a population of less than 7,500. Make recommendations to ensure the amendment does not result in undue competition between counties and private industry, and whether additional counties could benefit from a similar authorization.
9. Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 84th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Supporting documents
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, May 16, 2016, 10:00 A.M. (1115 transformation waiver, Child Protective Services)
Library Call Number:
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View document [60 pages  File size: 16,566 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, June 10, 2016 (County cybersecurity, Child Protective Services)
Library Call Number:
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View document [22 pages  File size: 822 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, July 7, 2016 (Child Protective Services, 1115 transformation waiver, County cybersecurity)
Library Call Number:
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View document [55 pages  File size: 3,050 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, August 4, 2016 (Child Protective Services, Debtors prisons, 1115 transformation waiver)
Library Call Number:
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View document [72 pages  File size: 14,626 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, August 29, 2016 (1115 transformation waiver, Child Protective Services, County cybersecurity, Bexar County justice-involved veterans unit)
Library Call Number:
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View document [88 pages  File size: 10,919 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, November 16, 2016 (Department of Public Safety and criminal justice reform, Child Protective Services)
Library Call Number:
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View document [276 pages  File size: 31,098 kb]
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Abortion | Adoption | Adult day care | Assisted living facilities | Birth defects | Child abuse | Child abuse prevention | Child Protective Services | Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of | Foster care | Liability | Long-term care | Managed care | Medicaid | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Nursing homes | Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services Commission, Texas | Organ and tissue donations | Planned Parenthood | Pregnancy | Refugees and asylees | Senior citizens | Services for persons with disabilities | State employee turnover | Sunset review process | Telemedicine | Women's health |
Library Call Number: L1836.84 H349
Session: 84th R.S. (2015)
Online version: View report [152 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Examine the business practices and regulatory structure of Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, and investigate whether state or federal laws are being broken by Planned Parenthood and/or its affiliates in Texas in regards to the donation and/or sale of fetal tissue. Consider recommendations to strengthen regulations on abortion providers, including further restrictions on the sale of fetal tissue by these entities. *
2. Protecting the Unborn: Part I: Examine and make recommendations on the use of fetal tissue provided for research purposes and how related laws governing abortion procedures are interpreted and enforced. Part II: Examine the cause of action known as “wrongful birth.” The study should examine (1) its history in Texas, (2) its effect on the practice of medicine, and (3) its effect on children with disabilities and their families. Examine related measures proposed or passed in other states.
3. Protection of Children Part I: Reducing Recurrence of Child Abuse and Neglect: Examine the current process that Child Protective Services uses to track recurrence of child abuse and neglect, and make recommendations to improve data tracking and the use of that data to assist in preventing recurrence. The study should examine the differences in recurrence among families who received services, families who received no services and had their cases closed, and families who had their children removed from the home. Part II: Addressing High-Acuity Needs of Foster Care Children: Study the increase in higher acuity children with trauma and mental illness in the state foster care system, and recommend ways to ensure children have timely access to appropriate treatment and placement options. Part III: Strengthening Adoptions: Examine the frequency, causes, and effects of disrupted foster care adoptions and make recommendations to improve the long-term success of adoptive placements. Study and make recommendations on ways to ensure a smooth transition for foster care children who are exiting the system.
4. Healthy Aging: Part I: Study and make recommendations on innovative methods and best practices to promote healthy aging for the state’s population and reduce chronic medical and behavioral health conditions. Identify opportunities for improved collaboration to promote healthy aging in the health and human services system at the state, regional and local levels. Part II: Examine and recommend ways to improve quality and oversight in long-term care settings, including nursing homes and ICF/HCS programs. Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services during the 84th Regular Session related to the revocation of nursing home licenses for repeated serious violations.
5. Medicaid Reform and State Innovation: Study the impact of the Section 1115 Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program Waiver on improving health outcomes, reducing costs, and providing access to health care for the uninsured, and monitor the renewal process of the waiver. Explore other mechanisms and make recommendations to control costs and increase quality and efficiency in the Medicaid program, including the pursuit of a block grant or a Section 1332 Medicaid State Innovation Waiver for the existing Medicaid program.
6. Inpatient Mental Health System Reform: Study and make recommendations on establishing collaborative partnerships between state-owned mental health hospitals and university health science centers to improve inpatient state mental health services, maximize the state mental health workforce, and reduce healthcare costs.
7. Mental Health Diversion and Forensic Capacity: Study the impact of recent efforts by the legislature to divert individuals with serious mental illness from criminal justice settings and prevent recidivism. Study and make recommendations to address the state's ongoing need for inpatient forensic capacity, including the impact of expanding community inpatient psychiatric beds.
8. Improving Access to Care through TeleHealth: Study and make recommendations on the appropriate use, scope and application of tele-monitoring and telemedicine services to improve management and outcomes for adults and children with complex medical needs and for persons confined in correctional facilities. Examine barriers to implementation of these services and any impact on access to health care services in rural areas of the state.
9. Review of Refugee Resettlement Program: Study the impact to the state of the increasing number of refugees relocating to Texas, including the range of health and human services provided. Examine the authority of the state to reduce its burden under the Refugee Resettlement Program, and any state-funded services.
10. Monitoring Charge: Monitor the implementation of legislation and riders related to health and human services that were considered by the 84th R.S. and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation, including but not limited to: ? The impact of changes made by the Department of Family and Protective Services, Child Protective Services on child safety, workforce retention, prevention, and permanency; ? Initiatives to reduce Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse, and other cost containment strategies, including examining the processes and procedures used by managed care organizations to address Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse; and The consolidation and expansion of women's health programs at the Health and Human Services Commission.
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Counties | County jails | Ebola | Emergency management | Homelessness | Hospitals | Jail population | Jail Standards, Texas Commission on | Managed care | Marijuana | Medicaid | Mental health services | Population growth | Specialty courts | Veterans |
Library Call Number: L1836.83 C832
Session: 83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version: View report [106 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Examine population growth in Texas counties and the impact the growth has had on housing, available land resources, businesses in Texas, as well as the impact of growth on the state's economy. Evaluate Texas's preparedness to respond to future growth and ensure economic stability.
2. Continue oversight of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and issues jails currently face, including the mental health of those in jail, and make recommendations for refinement or improvement of processes and programs.
3. Monitor the health advisory panel stemming from HB 3793, 83rd R.S..
4. Determine which counties have implemented a cite-and-summons policy, whether the policy has been effective in lessening overcrowding in county jails, and whether those cited by peace officers comply with the policy.
5. Study the implementation of SB 462, 83rd R.S.. Examine which counties currently have veterans courts, as well as veterans courts in other states, and determine how those programs are working and whether these courts provide additional services or resources for veterans. Make appropriate recommendations. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs)
6. Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Supporting documents
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, March 10, 2014 (Population growth, Texas Commission on Jail Standards and county jails, HB 3793 mental health advisory panel, Medicaid 1115 waiver, veterans courts)
Library Catalog Title: Minutes
Library Call Number: L1801.9 C832 83 2014: MAR 10
Session: 83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version: View document [170 pages  File size: 8,459 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, May 5, 2014 (Texas Commission on Jail Standards and county jails, HB 3793 mental health advisory panel, cite-and-summons policy, oversight of healthy community collaboratives)
Library Call Number:
Session: 83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version: View document [102 pages  File size: 9,604 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, May 15, 2014 (Medicaid 1115 waiver)
Library Call Number:
Session: 83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version: View document [220 pages  File size: 41,128 kb]
Committee: House County Affairs
Title: Committee meeting handouts and testimony, October 20, 2014 (Population growth, Texas Commission on Jail Standards and county jails, HB 3793 mental health advisory panel, emergency response preparedness/ebola)
Library Call Number:
Session: 83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version: View document [171 pages  File size: 12,739 kb]
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas | Caseworkers | Child Protective Services | Children's Health Insurance Program | Dental care | Foster care | Health care | Health care costs | Health insurance | Immunizations | Long-term care | Managed care | Medicaid | Medicaid eligibility | Medical research | Mental health services | Nursing homes | Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act | Public health | State Health Services, Texas Department of | State supported living centers |
Library Call Number: L1836.82 H349
Session: 82nd R.S. (2011)
Online version: View report [186 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Monitor the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on insurance regulations, Medicaid and CHIP, health care outcomes and overall health of all Texans, and the state budget in Texas. Additionally, monitor the current constitutional challenges to PPACA and other court cases associated with PPACA, and ensure that the state does not expend any resources until judicial direction is clear. (Joint charge with Senate State Affairs Committee)
2. Monitor the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on insurance regulations, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health care outcomes, health care workforce, overall health of all Texans, and the state budget in Texas. Additionally, monitor the current constitutional challenges to PPACA, and other court cases associated with PPACA, and ensure that the state does not expend any resources until judicial direction is clear. (Joint charge with Senate State Affairs Committee)
3. Evaluate the implementation of cost-containment strategies across the Health and Human Services Enterprise to determine if and how each strategy can be expanded upon to achieve additional savings next biennium. The evaluation should include but is not limited to: the expansion of managed care, co-­pays in Medicaid, electronic visit verification, and independent assessments for long-­? term care services. The evaluation should also consider new cost-containment strategies that will increase efficiencies and reduce costs. This evaluation should include but not be limited to: Medicaid, Early Childhood Intervention Services, and immunizations.
4. Review the state's current investment in health care innovation, including translational research and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute, which focuses on rapid transfer of new technology experimentation directly into the clinical environment. Make recommendations to improve the health of Texans and encourage continued medical research in the most cost-effective manner possible.
5. Review existing policies for prior authorization and medical necessity review across the Medicaid Program, including nursing homes and orthodontic services. Make recommendations on how these policies could be improved to save money by reducing unnecessary utilization and fraud.
6. Review the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waivers to identify strategies to lower costs, improve quality, and increase access to services. Areas of the review should include, but are not limited to:
  • Functional eligibility determinations to ensure services are only being delivered to individuals that qualify;
  • Financial eligibility determinations to ensure parental income and resources are considered when the client is a minor;
  • Coordination of acute and long-term care services;
  • Development and use of lower-cost community care waiver options;
  • Coordination with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) for waiver services for children in conservatorships;
  • Reinvesting savings into accessibility of community care for individuals waiting for services.
7. Evaluate the management structure and supervision of CPS caseworkers with an emphasis on rural areas. Identify any legislative changes that could assist DFPS in maximizing efficiency, improving quality casework and supervision, and increasing caseworker retention. Identify any legislative changes that could improve the quality of care children receive while in Child Protective Services custody, including improving permanency outcomes.
8. Examine the delivery and financing of public health services in our state, including how federal funds are distributed by the state to local health departments and whether the work done by Regional Health Departments operated by the Department of State Health Services overlap unnecessarily with local health departments.
9. Review the state's public mental health system and make recommendations to improve access, service utilization, patient outcomes and system efficiencies. Study current service delivery models for outpatient and inpatient care, funding levels, financing methodologies, services provided, and available community-based alternatives to hospitalization. The review should look to other states for best practices or models that may be successful in Texas. The study shall also review and recommend "best value" practices that the state's public mental health system may implement to maximize the use of federal, state, and local funds.
10. Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation, including but not limited to:
  • Health Care Quality and Efficiency - Monitor implementation of initiatives aimed at improving health care quality and efficiency in Texas, including: the transition of Medicaid and the CHIP to quality-based payments, establishment of the Texas Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency, implementation of the Health Care Collaborative certificate, patient-centered medical home for high-cost populations, development and use of potentially preventable event outcome measures, and reduction of health care-associated infections. Include recommendations on how to improve and build upon these initiatives, including improving birth outcomes and reducing infant and maternal mortality;
  • Federal Flexibility - Monitor implementation of initiatives to increase state flexibility, including the Health Care Compact and the Medicaid Demonstration Waiver;
  • Foster Care Redesign - Monitor implementation of the initiative to redesign the foster care system;
  • Implementation of DOJ Settlement agreement to address State Supported Living Center concerns.
Committee: Senate State Affairs
Title: Interim Report
Library Catalog Title: Interim report to the 79th Legislature
Subjects: Border health | Damage award caps | Election administration | Election laws | Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 | Employees Retirement System of Texas | Health insurance | Liability insurance | Managed care | Medical liability insurance | Medically uninsured | Nursing homes | Patients' rights | Quality of care | Rural health care | State employee benefits | State mandated health insurance | Teacher health insurance | Teacher Retirement System of Texas | Tort reform | Voter registration | Voting systems |
Library Call Number: L1836.78 St29a
Session: 78th R.S. (2003)
Online version: View report [0 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Study the implementation of changes made to the state group health insurance plans and identify additional cost-saving measures. Study the feasibility and practicality of offering health reimbursement accounts as an alternate health insurance plan for those insured in ERS, TRS, and university plans. Provide recommendations regarding whether the current method of administering these programs is in the best interest of the State of Texas and the various insured populations, or whether such programs might be more efficiently administered in another fashion.
2. Monitor the implementation of HB 1549, 78th R.S., the Federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, to assure that Texas meets the criteria to secure the proposed federal funding. Make recommendations for statutory changes required to implement federal legislation and improve the efficiency of the process.
3. Study the implementation of SB 10, 78th R.S., and SB 541, 78th R.S., and make recommendations, as needed, to make health insurance more accessible, and affordable for all Texans.
4. Study the April 2003 United States Supreme Court decision in Kentucky Association of Health Plans v. Miller to determine its impact on Texas laws regulating health insurance plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and make recommendations to changes in state law to conform with recent federal court decisions.
5. Study the reimbursement methodology of health care plans operating in Texas for out-of-network claims, specifically focusing upon the reimbursement of usual and customary charges, and make recommendations on how to improve their effectiveness. The study and recommendations should encompass all plans, including those participating in Texas Medicaid managed care program and should consider federal and state laws as well as Health & Human Services Commission rules relating to the reimbursement of out-of-network claims.
6. Study the implementation of HB 4, 78th R.S., and Proposition 12 in achieving lower medical malpractice rates and providing more access to affordable health care. Monitor and report on trends in medical malpractice insurance rates and the effect of tort reform on access to health care and provider shortages in certain regions, particularly along the Border.
7. Study and report on the affordability, reasonableness, and impact of mandatory liability insurance on the nursing home industry. Assess and report on the effects of the admissibility of quality reports.
Committee: Senate Health Services
Title: Interim Report
Library Catalog Title: Report to the 77th Legislature / Texas Senate Health Committee.
Subjects: Biological weapons | Biotechnology industry | Children's Health Insurance Program | Cloning | Dentists | Ethics | Genetic research and testing | Health care providers | Immunizations | Managed care | Medicaid | Medical privacy | Medical records | Nurses | Nursing shortages | Pharmaceutical industry | Pharmacists | Physicians | Privacy | State employee turnover | Telemedicine |
Library Call Number: L1836.76 h35
Session: 76th R.S. (1999)
Online version: View report [356 pages  File size: 6,500 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Evaluate the changes in the Medicaid system since the beginning of Medicaid reform. The Committee shall assess reform efforts in light of the original goals for implementation of Medicaid managed care, as well as the impact of Medicaid managed care on patient outcomes, cost implications to the state, and the impact on traditional providers of indigent care. The Committee shall also specifically evaluate the ability of Medicaid managed care organizations and the state to manage chronic illnesses and develop specific strategies for disease management for certain populations.
2. Inventory and analyze the amount and type of research related to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and genetics currently occurring in Texas to maximize the benefits to Texans in these fields. The Committee shall also examine the ethical implications associated with pharmaceuticals, genetic and biotechnology research.
3. Review the type, amount, availability, and use of patient-specific medical information, including prescription data, and current statutory and regulatory provisions governing its availability. The report shall explore if statutory and regulatory provisions are consistent and adequately enforced.
4. Study impacts of the degree of choice granted physicians to administer immunizations to children under the Vaccinations For Children (VFC) Program. The Committee shall focus on the health and fiscal implications to the public and private sectors of granting choices to physicians where more than one manufacturer produces the same vaccine at an equivalent price.
5. Assess the preparedness of the Texas health care workforce to meet the health care needs of Texans beyond the year 2000, including methods to retain Texas-trained medical personnel. The Committee shall evaluate the availability of health care providers in rural and urban areas. The Committee shall also review the oversight of medical procedures performed by medical residents and disclosure provided to patients prior to treatment.
6. Monitor the implementation of SB 445, 76th R.S. relating to the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Committee: House Insurance
Title: Interim Report
Library Catalog Title: House Committee on Insurance, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2000 : a report to the House of Representatives, 77th Texas Legislature.
Subjects: Banks and banking | Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 | Insurance industry | Managed care | Physicians |
Library Call Number: L1836.76 in7
Session: 76th R.S. (1999)
Online version: View report [26 pages  File size: 841 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Review the federal "financial services modernization" act (HR 10) to identify necessary changes to state laws and regulations governing insurance and financial institutions. This review is to be conducted jointly with the House Committee on Financial Institutions.
2. Examine public policy issues associated with mandatory "hospitalist" programs in managed care.
Committee: House Public Health
Title: Interim Report
Library Catalog Title: House Committee on Public Health, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2000 : a report to the House of Representatives, 77th Texas Legislature.
Subjects: Children's health insurance | Children's Health Insurance Program | e-commerce | Emergency medical services | Health care | Hospitals | Indigent health care | Internet | Managed care | Medicaid | Nonprofit hospitals | Pharmaceutical industry | Pharmacists | Prescription drug costs | Prescription drugs | Public health | State government contracts | Telemedicine | Trauma centers |
Library Call Number: L1836.76 h349h
Session: 76th R.S. (1999)
Online version: View report [275 pages  File size: 10,000 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Review the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the delivery of health care in Texas. The review should identify pharmaceutical cost-drivers and opportunities to reduce costs, assess the role of pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies, and address patient-specific issues, as well as other issues identified by the committee.
2. Review issues related to the increased use of new technologies in the delivery of health care. The review should identify opportunities and risks associated with the sale of medical devices and drugs over the Internet, the feasibility of expanding telemedicine to improve care in underserved areas, and regulatory and privacy issues presented by these new technologies.
3. Evaluate the role and potential of disease management in public health programs that serve chronically ill populations.
4. Study issues arising from hospital system sales, conversions, partnerships and mergers, including the impact on health care in medically underserved and rural communities and on the level of charity care provided.
5. Examine the requirements imposed on emergency medical services providers in rural areas. Determine whether individual requirements encourage or hinder the provision of services.
6. Conduct active oversight of the agencies under the committee's jurisdiction, including the Children's Health Insurance Program, the restructuring of health and humans service agencies under HB 2641, 76th R.S., and the Medicaid managed care program.
Committee: Senate Economic Development, Interim
Title: Interim report - Telecommunications and insurance
Library Catalog Title: Report on telecommunications and insurance.
Subjects: Homeowners insurance | Insurance industry | Insurance, Texas Department of | Liability | Long distance telephone service | Managed care | Open records requests and decisions | Patients' rights | Public Information Act, Texas | Public Utility Commission of Texas | Public Utility Regulatory Act | Racial discrimination | Telecommunications infrastructure | Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund | Telephone deregulation | Telephone service |
Library Call Number: L1836.75 ec74t
Session: 75th R.S. (1997)
Online version: View report [308 pages  File size: 12,707 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Study the effect of property insurance form deregulation, as addressed in SB 1499, 75th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1997 regular session, on the affordability and availability of homeowners insurance.
2. Monitor the implementation of SB 386, 75th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1997 regular session, regarding managed care liability, including the development of the rules and standards governing the certification, selection, and operation of independent review organizations.
3. Study and assess the effectiveness of HB 2128, 74th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1995 regular session, including but not limited to: the deployment of an advanced telecommunications infrastructure in Texas; the development of competition in the local telecommunications market in Texas; and the use of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund in improving the capabilities of Texas schools, libraries and public hospitals. In its evaluation, the Committee should identify any remaining barriers to the development of full competition in the telecommunications market in Texas and make recommendations, if necessary, for any legislative or regulatory action.
4. Review the process used by the Texas Department of Insurance and the Attorney General in making determinations regarding public disclosure of insurance data and, if necessary, make recommendations to streamline and standardize the process.
5. Review and make recommendations, if needed, to clarify what insurance market-related data should be in the public domain and what information should be considered proprietary data to preserve competition. This review should consider both statistical data and underwriting guidelines.
Committee: House Human Services
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: House Committee on Human Services, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1998 : a report to the House of Representatives, 76th Texas Legislature.
Subjects: Long-term care | Managed care | Medicaid | Nursing homes | Quality of care |
Library Call Number: L1836.76 h88
Session: 75th R.S. (1997)
Online version: View report [22 pages  File size: 1,154 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Conduct active oversight of the agencies under the committee's jurisdiction.
2. Actively monitor implementation of the STAR-Plus Medicaid managed care project for long-term care in Harris County. This is a national pilot project and many constituencies will be interested in its deployment and results.
3. Study the opportunities and problems associated with use of an index to measure quality of long-term care in Medicaid-certified nursing homes.
Committee: House Corrections
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1996 : report to the House of Representatives, 75th Texas Legislature.
Subjects: Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Deferred adjudication | Inmate health | Managed care | Parole | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Prison labor | Probation | Telemedicine | Wackenhut Corrections Corporation |
Library Call Number: L1836.75 c817
Session: 74th R.S. (1995)
Online version: View report [69 pages  File size: 3,420 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction.
2. Study the prison industries program regarding private sector employment of inmates.
3. Study the continuing implementation of the managed health care system within the prison system. Consider how tele-medicine networks developed for the prison system might benefit local citizens.
4. Review the need for changes in sentencing practices, the revocation of probation and the use of deferred adjudication.
Committee: Senate Economic Development
Title: Interim report - Medical savings accounts
Library Catalog Title: Interim report on medical savings accounts.
Subjects: Health insurance | Managed care | Medical savings accounts | Medically uninsured | Quality of care |
Library Call Number: L1836.74 m468
Session: 74th R.S. (1995)
Online version: View report [95 pages  File size: 4,336 kb]
Charge: This report should address the charge below.
1. Study the potential benefits and liabilities of medical savings accounts as an additional health care option for individuals and employers.
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim report - Medicaid and welfare reform
Library Catalog Title: Medicaid and welfare reform : interim report.
Subjects: Federal funds | Indigent health care | Job training programs | Managed care | Medicaid | Medical savings accounts | Social service agencies | Welfare | Welfare reform | Welfare-to-work | Workforce |
Library Call Number: L1836.74 h349m
Session: 74th R.S. (1995)
Online version: View report [350 pages  File size: 15,412 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Monitor the development of federal waivers resulting from Medicaid and welfare reform legislation, SB 10, 74th R.S., and HB 1863, 74th R.S., to be submitted and negotiated with the federal Health Care Finance Administration.
2. Monitor the implementation of the Medicaid health care delivery system created by SB 10, 74th R.S., to ensure that the phase-in of the program is being carried out in a rapid but thorough manner.
3. Review and assess Medicaid reform legislation and welfare reform, SB 10, 74th R.S., and HB 1863, 74th R.S., and make recommendations for state legislation, if necessary, regarding modifications needed to ensure a smooth transition to statewide managed health care for indigent patients and enacting the reformed welfare system.
4. Establish a working group consisiting of Committee members, legislative staff, staff from the State Comptroller's Office, the Legislative Budget Office and other affected state agencies to monitor the activities in Congress regarding block grant funding and the impact these will have on Texas' health and human services related programs. Establish a mechanism for communicating these program impacts to the Congressional delegation.
5. In the event that Federal block grant legislation is enacted which affects health and human services programs, the working group should evaluate the impact on welfare and Medicaid reform legislation, HB 1863, 74th R.S., and SB 10, 74th R.S., and determine the ability of the state to proceed with enacting both pieces of legislation and evaluate the need to modify either piece of legislation to conform to federal requirements.
Supporting documents
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim minutes, letters to Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock with enclosures, and charts reflecting legislative recommendations submitted to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services
Library Catalog Title: Minutes
Library Call Number: L1803.9 H88 74
Session: 74th R.S. (1995)
Online version: View document [461 pages  File size: 10,303 kb]
Committee: Senate Managed Care and Consumer Protections, Interim
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: A report to the 75th Legislature .
Subjects: Consumer protection | Emergency medical services | Health maintenance organizations | Hospital emergency rooms | Managed care | Patients' rights | Preferred provider organizations | Quality of care |
Library Call Number: L1836.74 m311r
Session: 74th R.S. (1995)
Online version: View report [168 pages  File size: 7,079 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Evaluate the ability of managed care organizations to provide adequate access to medical care. Examine Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) licensing standards as they relate to physician/patient rations, specialty physician/patient ratios, scope of medical coverage and geographic coverage requirements.
2. Study the incidence of emergency room utilization and the standards used to establish eligibility by an HMO for emergency room services.
3. Evaluate the requirements of an HMO to have adequate and effective consumer appeals processes in place for denied services, prescription drugs, etc.
4. Evaluate the standards of consumer education, in terms of availability and scope, and determine the extent to which they are, or should, be governed by regulation or statue.
5. Assess the process by which "medical necessity" is determined by an HMO, who may participate in establishing the criteria, if the process is governed by current or pending regulations and if the standards need enhancement.
6. The Interim Committee should study each of the above items and make recommendations based on its findings. In making its recommendations, the Interim Committee should consider whether modifications need to be addressed through state agency rule making authority or statutorily by the Legislature.
Committee: House Corrections
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: To the speaker and members of the Texas House of Representatives, 74th Legislature : report of the Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives, 74th Legislature.
Subjects: Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate health | Inmate rehabilitation | Managed care | Prison construction | Prison labor | Prison population | Recidivism | State agency mandated reports | State jail system | Telemedicine | Windham School District |
Library Call Number: L1836.73 c868
Session: 73rd R.S. (1993)
Online version: View report [64 pages  File size: 2,429 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction, including a study of mandated reports to the legislature and legislative agencies. The study should consist of a review of the legislative reporting requirements of all agencies to identify areas where reporting obligations could be streamlined and agency accountability improved. The committee shall make specific recommendations about the continuation, modification or elimination of required legislative reports.
2. Monitor and report on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's implementation of the managed health care system established in SB 378, 73rd Legislature, Regular Session.
3. Monitor the construction of facilities by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Report to the legislature on construction progress and make recommendations regarding the adequacy and effectiveness of the construction program.
4. Study the effects of inmate job training on recidivism, as proposed in HB 1602, 73rd Legislature, Regular Session.
5. Study the use of private industry prison work programs and the assumption of costs by the prison through these programs.
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim report - Reforming Medicaid
Library Catalog Title: Reforming Medicaid in Texas : interim report.
Subjects: Child nutrition programs | Fraud | Health and Human Services Commission, Texas | Human Services, Texas Department of | Managed care | Medicaid | Medicaid eligibility | State budgets | Welfare fraud |
Library Call Number: L1836.73 m468
Session: 73rd R.S. (1993)
Online version: View report [137 pages  File size: 7,824 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Review and evaluate the options provided by the State Medicaid Director and make recommendations for state or federal administrative action that could be taken in the short term under current law, if any, with the goal of fundamentally changing the Medicaid delivery system to achieve significant savings in the Texas Medicaid Program in FY '96-'97.
2. Review Medicaid and other related programs in Texas and other states, such as Tennessee and Oregon, to identify cost-saving methods that have proven successful or have the potential to prove successful.
3. Identify barriers at the federal level, whether statutory or administrative, that restrict or limit Texas' ability to achieve substantial Medicaid cost-savings.
4. Make recommendations for state legislation, if necessary, to substantially reduce the growth in demand for spending in the 1996-97 Medicaid budget and following budget periods.
5. Review compliance by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission with the requirements of HB 7, 72nd Legislature, 1st Called Session and subsequent amendments thereto.
6. At the direction of the Lieutenant Governor, investigate allegations of fraud, mismanagement or waste in any health and human services program or agency involving substantial loss or risk of future loss to the state.
Supporting documents
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Interim Report - Interest groups' recommendations on Medicaid reform
Library Catalog Title: Interest groups' recommendations on Medicaid reform.
Library Call Number: L1836.73 h349i 1&2
Session: 73rd R.S. (1993)
Committee: Senate Health and Human Services
Title: Committee documentation: daily minutes record, draft minutes, testimony of Richard C. Ladd, HHSC Commissioner (HHSC accomplishments, reorganization, LBB budget recommendations, DHS summary of impact of legislative budget estimates), guardianship
Library Catalog Title: Minutes
Library Call Number: L1803.9 H88 73
Session: 73rd R.S. (1993)
Online version: View document [30 pages  File size: 529 kb]
Committee: Joint Qualified Providers, Interim
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: Report of the Joint Interim Committee on Qualified Providers: report to the 74th Legislature.
Subjects: Health care providers | Health insurance | Health maintenance organizations | Insurance industry | Managed care |
Library Call Number: L1836.73 qu25
Session: 73rd R.S. (1993)
Online version: View report [76 pages  File size: 2,557 kb]
Charge: This report should address the charge below.
1. Pursuant to HB 1461, 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, the committee should study the impact of requiring a health insurance policy or health maintenance plan to allow any qualified provider who is a physician, physician's assistant, advanced nurse practitioner, or any class of provider enumerated in Articles 21.52 and 21.52B, Insurance Code, to participate as a contracting provider for such a policy or plan.

* This represents an abstract of the report contents. Charge text is incomplete or unavailable.

Information on this website is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.