HBA-DMD, NLM, BTC H.B. 820 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 820
By: Naishtat
Human Services
11/1/1999
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, children of families receiving financial assistance under the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are provided with
Medicaid coverage relating to the TANF grant. Upon the termination of  TANF
benefits, the Medicaid coverage associated with these benefits also
expires.  Because many families may not be aware that their children may be
eligible for insurance coverage under a different Medicaid category, their
children may go without health insurance or experience gaps in their
coverage.  H.B. 820 requires the Health and Human Services Commission or an
agency operating part of the medical assistance program (department) to
automatically review a child's eligibility for medical assistance if the
child's Medicaid benefits are lost due to the loss of the  family's entire
TANF grant. This bill also authorizes the department to provide for
provisional eligibility for medical assistance for the child, for no longer
than one month, pending a recertification review, in certain circumstances.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 32, Human Resources Code, by
adding Section 32.0251, as follows: 

Sec. 32.0251. ELIGIBILITY NOTIFICATION AND REVIEW FOR CERTAIN CHILDREN. (a)
Requires the Health and Human Services Commission or an agency operating
part of the medical assistance program, as appropriate (department) to
establish and implement procedures under which the department automatically
reviews a child's eligibility for medical assistance, if the child
originally establishes eligibility for medical assistance on the basis of
receipt of financial assistance under Chapter 31 (Financial Assistance and
Service Programs), as provided by Section 32.025(a), and that receipt of
financial assistance under Chapter 31 ceases.   

(b) Authorizes the department to provide for provisional eligibility for
medical assistance for the child pending a recertification review, provided
that the review indicates that the child may be eligible for medical
assistance on a basis other than receipt of financial assistance under
Chapter 31. Prohibits the provisional eligibility period authorized by this
subsection from exceeding one month.  

(c) Requires the department, in addition to the review required by this
section, to also promote continued medical assistance for a child described
by Subsection (a) through: 

(1) revising client education and notification policies relating to a
child's eligibility for medical assistance; and 
(2) providing specific notification of a child's potential eligibility for
medical assistance to the child's parent or other caretaker at the time the
parent or caretaker is notified of a scheduled eligibility recertification
review or the termination of financial assistance.  
 
SECTION 2. Provides that this Act takes effect only if a specific
appropriation for the implementation of this Act is provided in H.B. No. 1
(General Appropriations Act), Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1999. Provides that this Act has no effect, if no specific
appropriation is provided in H.B. No. 1, the General Appropriations Act.  

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.
            Effective date: upon passage.