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


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 820
By: Naishtat
Human Services
2/18/1999
Introduced



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 go without health insurance or experience gaps in their coverage.
H.B. 820 provides for automatic review of 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. 



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 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) Requires the department to ensure that the child continues to receive
medical assistance without a gap in eligibility if the review required by
this section indicates that the child is eligible for medical assistance on
another basis. 

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
            Effective date: upon passage.