The Texas House of Representatives has approved Texas House Bill 1599, which is aimed at improving health insurance coverage for eligible individuals in the state.
What is Texas House Bill 1599?
The Texas House Bill 1599, sponsored by State Representative John Bucy III, creates an Express Lane Eligibility program that streamlines the process of determining eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
According to Rep. Bucy, under the Texas House Bill 1599, new programs will create efficiencies and reduce redundancies, while also achieving cost savings.
He emphasized the importance of enabling access to healthcare, especially preventative medicine, in order to lay the foundation for healthy lives for children.
According to the Herald Banner, Texas is currently home to nearly one million uninsured children, with 400,000 eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but not enrolled in either program.
The state has the highest number and rate of uninsured children in the United States, with over one in five uninsured children nationwide living in Texas. The state also has a double-digit rate of uninsured children at 11.8%, significantly higher than the national average of 5.4%.
In the Texas House Bill 1599, the Express Lane Eligibility program leverages verified information from other state-administered programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, to quickly determine eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP.
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Texas House Bill 1599 Receives Bipartisan Support
The Texas House Bill 1599 has received bipartisan support and has been hailed as a “smart, bipartisan approach” to tackling the state’s unacceptably high children’s uninsured rate.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s David Balat said that the legislation would increase efficiency across agencies and help address workforce shortages while improving the process for eligible children.
The Texas House Bill 1599 passed in the Texas House with 106 votes in favor and 40 votes against. It now awaits approval in the Senate, and if approved, it would go to the Governor for his signature.
The passage of Texas House Bill 1599 would be a major victory for Texas children, improving access to healthcare and helping to ensure that more children can receive the medical care they need.
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