Bill Text: TX HB331 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishing a universal maternal home visiting program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-02-25 - Referred to Public Health [HB331 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB331-Introduced.html
| By: Talarico | H.B. No. 331 | |
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| relating to establishing a universal maternal home visiting | ||
| program. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 32, Health and Safety Code, is amended | ||
| by adding subsection 32.156 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 32.156. UNIVERSAL MATERNAL HOME VISITING. (a) | ||
| Accordingly, within 100 days the Department is directed to produce | ||
| and post publicly a plan to make substantial progress annually over | ||
| five years toward offering evidence-based maternal home visiting | ||
| programs universally to eligible families. | ||
| (c) The plan may include (1) expansion of existing maternal | ||
| home visiting programs; (2) proposed applications for federal and | ||
| foundation grant funding; (3) "Pay for Success" social impact | ||
| bonds; and/or (4) any other programs the Department identifies | ||
| that would result in an efficient expansion of maternal home | ||
| visiting service offerings. The plan should target expansion of | ||
| maternal home visiting programs by at least 20% per year. | ||
| (d) The plan should detail which actions the Department can | ||
| pursue on its own without additional legislative action, and, | ||
| within 60 days of the plan's publication, the Department shall | ||
| commence those programs. | ||
| (e) For aspects of the plan that would require additional | ||
| action by the legislature, the Department shall include in the plan | ||
| specific requests and outlines of legislative action needed, | ||
| including budget requests. | ||
| (f) Definitions | ||
| (i) "maternal home visiting program" as defined in this | ||
| section means an evidence-based home visiting models that is proven | ||
| to improve child health and be cost effective, as measured by the | ||
| federal Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE) program. | ||
| (ii) "eligible families" means families who are eligible | ||
| for home visiting services under a service delivery model included | ||
| in the definition in (i). | ||
| (2) The authority shall design, implement and maintain a | ||
| voluntary statewide program to provide universal newborn nurse home | ||
| visiting services to all families with newborns residing in this | ||
| state to support healthy child development and strengthen | ||
| families. The authority shall design the universal newborn nurse | ||
| home visiting program to be flexible so as to meet the needs of the | ||
| communities where the program operates. | ||
| (3) In designing the program described in subsection (2) of | ||
| this section, the authority shall consult, coordinate and | ||
| collaborate, as necessary, with insurers that offer health benefit | ||
| plans in this state, hospitals, local public health authorities, | ||
| existing early childhood home visiting programs, community-based | ||
| organizations and social service providers. | ||
| (4) The program must provide nurse home visiting services | ||
| that are: | ||
| (a) Based on criteria established by the United States | ||
| Department of Health and Human Services for an evidence-based early | ||
| childhood home visiting service delivery model; | ||
| (b) Provided by registered nurses licensed in this state to | ||
| families caring for newborns up to the age of six months, including | ||
| foster and adoptive newborns; | ||
| (c) Provided in the family's home; and | ||
| (d) Aimed at improving outcomes in one or more of the | ||
| following domains: | ||
| (A) Child health; | ||
| (B) Child development and school readiness; | ||
| (C) Family economic self-sufficiency; | ||
| (D) Maternal health; | ||
| (E) Positive parenting; | ||
| (F) Reducing child mistreatment; | ||
| (G) Reducing juvenile delinquency; | ||
| (H) Reducing family violence; or | ||
| (I) Reducing crime. | ||
| (5) The services provided in the program must: | ||
| (a) Be voluntary and carry no negative consequences for a | ||
| family that declines to participate; | ||
| (b) Be offered in every community in this state; | ||
| (c) Include an evidence-based assessment of the physical, | ||
| social and emotional factors affecting the family; | ||
| (d) Be offered to all families with newborns residing in the | ||
| community where the program operates; | ||
| (e) Include at least one visit during a newborn's first | ||
| three months of life with the opportunity for the family to choose | ||
| up to three additional visits; | ||
| (f) Include a follow-up visit no later than three months | ||
| after the last visit; and | ||
| (g) Provide information and referrals to address each | ||
| family's identified needs. | ||
| (6) The authority shall collect and analyze data generated | ||
| by the program to assess the effectiveness of the program in meeting | ||
| the aims described in subsection (4)(d) of this section and shall | ||
| work with other state agencies to develop protocols for sharing | ||
| data, including the timely sharing of data with primary care | ||
| providers of care to the families with newborns receiving the | ||
| services. | ||
| (7) In collaboration with the Department of Insurance, the | ||
| authority shall adopt by rule, consistent with the provisions of | ||
| this section, criteria for universal newborn nurse home visiting | ||
| services that must be covered by health benefit plans in accordance | ||
| with section 2 of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 2. Chapter 1366, Insurance Code, is amended by | ||
| adding subsection 1366.060 to read as follows: | ||
| SECTION 1366.060. MATERNAL HOME VISITING COVERAGE. (a) A | ||
| health benefit plan offered in this state must reimburse the cost | ||
| of universal newborn nurse home visiting services as prescribed by | ||
| the Department of State Health Services by rule under section 1 (7) | ||
| of this 2019 Act. | ||
| (3) The coverage must be provided without any cost-sharing, | ||
| coinsurance or deductible applicable to the services. | ||
| (4) Carriers must offer the services in their health benefit | ||
| plans but enrollees are not required to receive the services as a | ||
| condition of coverage and may not be penalized or in any way | ||
| discouraged from declining the services. | ||
| (5) A carrier must notify an enrollee about the services | ||
| whenever an enrollee adds a newborn to coverage. | ||
| (6) A carrier may use in-network providers or may contract | ||
| with local public health authorities to provide the services. | ||
| (7) This section does not require a carrier to reimburse the | ||
| cost of the services in any specific manner. The services may be | ||
| reimbursed using: | ||
| (a) A value-based payment methodology; | ||
| (b) A claim invoicing process; | ||
| (c) Capitated payments; | ||
| (d) A payment methodology that takes into account the need | ||
| for a community-based entity providing the services to expand its | ||
| capacity to provide the services and address health disparities; or | ||
| (e) Any other methodology agreed to by the carrier and the | ||
| provider of the services. | ||
| (8) Carriers shall report to the authority, in the form and | ||
| manner prescribed by the authority, data regarding claims | ||
| submitted for services covered under this section to monitor the | ||
| provision of the services. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
