HBA-NMO H.C.R. 96 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.C.R. 96 By: Coleman Public Health 3/29/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recent studies show that almost 1.5 million Texas children lack health insurance. However, as many as one million of these children may be eligible for health insurance through the state Medicaid program or prospectively eligible for the new state Children's Health Insurance Program. Without outreach activities conducted by the state to enroll eligible children in state programs and link ineligible but needy children with private insurers, these currently uninsured children may not acquire access to available health care. The federal government has made available approximately $27.5 million in matching funds for the purpose of outreach activities and has offered these funds at an enhanced matching rate. The federal statute that created these funds specifies that the funds may only be accessed during the first twelve quarters that the state receives Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds. This state is currently in its tenth quarter of receiving TANF funds. 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. ANALYSIS H.C.R. 96 directs the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), in conjunction with the appropriate health and human services state agencies, to maximize the amount of Texas' federal receipts from this new funding source as soon as possible. Provides that HHSC utilize these funds to implement targeted and culturally appropriate communitybased outreach programs; develop educational programs relating to current or future beneficiaries; simplify eligibility and enrollment processes; train eligibility workers, providers, and the community on available resources; update eligibility systems; and target individuals at risk of losing Medicaid benefits due to welfare reform.