HBA-JEK H.B. 2660 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2660
By: Christian
Human Services
3/18/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Texas Department of Human Services requires each adult recipient of its
public assistance programs to sign a responsibility agreement that requires
the recipient to ensure that, subject to the availability of funds and
providers, each of the individual's dependent children will complete early
and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment checkups and receive the
prescribed immunization series.  While the children's health insurance
program has made progress in insuring children in recent years, many
children of public assistance recipients remain uninsured.  House Bill 2660
requires HHSC to adopt rules requiring recipients of certain public
assistance programs to enroll their dependent children in any public health
care program for which the child is eligible. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Health and Human Services
Commission in SECTION 1 (Sec. 531.055, Government Code) of this bill. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2660 amends the Government Code to require the Health and Human
Services Commission (HHSC) to adopt rules requiring a person receiving
public assistance under a program administered by HHSC or a health and
human services agency, as a condition for receiving that assistance, to
enroll each of the person's dependent children in any public health care
program, including Medicaid and the state child health plan (CHIP), for
which the child is eligible.  In implementing the rules, HHSC or the
appropriate health and human services agency must identify any public
health care program in which a person is required to enroll a child as well
as assist the person with the procedures required to enroll the child in
the identified program.  The bill also provides that the rules must include
procedures under which HHSC or the appropriate health and human services
agency may exempt a person from the rules for good cause, including a
person's inability to pay any cost associated with enrollment in a public
health care program. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.