HBA-JEK, MPM H.B. 3043 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3043 By: Luna, Vilma Public Health 3/22/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Hospital districts are designed to provide indigent care. In order to qualify for indigent care, an eligible resident must prove that they meet income and resource requirements by providing certain documentation. Hospital districts have experienced an increase in demand for and related costs of providing health care, as well as numerous fraudulent misrepresentations when processing applications for enrollment in the indigent health care program. Unlike county-funded indigent care programs, state law does not give hospital districts the authority to establish procedures to prevent and detect fraud and disqualify individuals from participating in the indigent care program as a result of fraud. House Bill 3043 authorizes hospital districts to establish a method to minimize, identify, and eliminate fraud in indigent health care programs. 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 House Bill 3043 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize a hospital district to adopt reasonable procedures for minimizing the opportunity for fraud in its indigent health care services, for establishing and maintaining methods for detecting and identifying situations in which a question of fraud may exist, and for administrative hearings to be conducted on disqualifying persons in cases where fraud appears to exist. The bill requires that the procedures under this provision provide for appropriate due process, including procedures for appeals. EFFECTIVE DATE The Act takes effect on the 91st day after adjournment.