HBA-MPM H.B. 3043 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3043
By: Luna, Vilma
Public Health
7/10/2001
Enrolled



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,
prior to the 77th Legislature, state law did 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

August 27, 2001.