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H.B. 157

             1     

CHILDREN'S HEARING AID PILOT PROGRAM

             2     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Rebecca P. Edwards

             5     
Senate Sponsor: ____________

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill creates a pilot program to provide hearing aids to qualifying children with
             10      hearing loss.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    creates a two-year pilot program within the Department of Health to provide hearing
             14      aids to qualifying children with hearing loss;
             15          .    establishes the Children's Hearing Aid Advisory Committee to advise the
             16      Department of Health regarding qualification criteria and proposed rules;
             17          .    creates a restricted account within the General Fund called the "Children's Hearing
             18      Aid Pilot Program Account";
             19          .    directs the Department of Health to establish a process to identify eligible children
             20      for the pilot program;
             21          .    grants rulemaking authority to the Department of Health over the implementation of
             22      the pilot program;
             23          .    requires the Department of Health to report to the Health and Human Services
             24      Interim Committee on the outcomes of the pilot program; and
             25          .    requires the Health and Human Services Interim Committee to determine if the pilot
             26      program should be converted to an ongoing program within the Department of
             27      Health.


             28      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             29          This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2014:
             30          .    to the General Fund Restricted - Children's Hearing Aid Pilot Program Account, as
             31      an ongoing appropriation:
             32              .    from the General Fund - $100,000; and
             33          .    to the Department of Health - Family Health and Preparedness, as an ongoing
             34      appropriation:
             35              .    from the General Fund Restricted - Children's Hearing Aid Pilot Program
             36      Account - $100,000.
             37      Other Special Clauses:
             38          This bill provides an effective date.
             39      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             40      AMENDS:
             41          63I-1-226, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapters 171 and 328
             42      ENACTS:
             43          26-10-11, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             44     
             45      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             46          Section 1. Section 26-10-11 is enacted to read:
             47          26-10-11. Children's Hearing Aid Pilot Program.
             48          (1) (a) There is established a pilot program to provide hearing aids to children younger
             49      than three years old with hearing loss.
             50          (b) The department shall administer the program beginning on July 1, 2013, and ending
             51      June 30, 2015.
             52          (2) The department shall provide hearing aids to a child who:
             53          (a) is a resident of Utah;
             54          (b) has been diagnosed by an audiologist with pediatric expertise as having hearing
             55      loss;
             56          (c) provides documentation from an audiologist with pediatric expertise certifying that
             57      the child needs hearing aids;
             58          (d) has obtained medical clearance by a medical provider for hearing aid fitting;


             59          (e) is younger than three years old;
             60          (f) does not qualify to receive a hearing aid through the state's Medicaid program or
             61      Utah Children's Health Insurance Program; and
             62          (g) meets the financial need qualification criteria established by the department for
             63      participation in the pilot program.
             64          (3) (a) There is established the Children's Hearing Aid Advisory Committee.
             65          (b) The committee shall be composed of five members appointed by the executive
             66      director, and shall include:
             67          (i) one audiologist with pediatric expertise;
             68          (ii) one speech language pathologist;
             69          (iii) one teacher, certified under Title 53A, State System of Public Education, as a
             70      teacher of the deaf or a listening and spoken language therapist;
             71          (iv) one ear, nose, and throat specialist; and
             72          (v) one parent who has a child older than three years old with hearing loss.
             73          (c) A majority of the members constitutes a quorum.
             74          (d) A vote of the majority of the members, with a quorum present, constitutes an action
             75      of the committee.
             76          (e) The committee shall elect a chair from its members.
             77          (f) The committee shall:
             78          (i) meet at least quarterly;
             79          (ii) recommend to the department medical criteria and procedures for selecting children
             80      who may qualify for assistance from the account; and
             81          (iii) review rules developed by the department.
             82          (g) A member may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service, but
             83      may receive per diem and travel expenses in accordance with Sections 63A-3-106 and
             84      63A-3-107 and rules made by the Division of Finance, pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and
             85      63A-3-107 .
             86          (h) The department shall provide staff to the committee.
             87          (4) (a) There is created within the General Fund a restricted account known as the
             88      "Children's Hearing Aid Pilot Program Account."
             89          (b) The Children's Hearing Aid Pilot Program Account shall consist of:


             90          (i) amounts appropriated to the account by the Legislature; and
             91          (ii) gifts, grants, devises, donations, and bequests of real property, personal property, or
             92      services, from any source, or any other conveyance that may be made to the account from
             93      private sources.
             94          (c) All actual and necessary operating expenses for the committee under Subsection (3)
             95      shall be paid by the account.
             96          (d) No more than 9% of the account money may be used for administrative or other
             97      expenses of the department.
             98          (5) The department shall make rules establishing a process to:
             99          (a) identify the children who are financially eligible to receive services under the pilot
             100      program; and
             101          (b) review and pay for services provided to a child under the pilot program.
             102          (6) The department shall make rules, in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
             103      Administrative Rulemaking Act, regarding implementation of the pilot program created under
             104      this section.
             105          (7) The services provided under the pilot program created by this section:
             106          (a) do not constitute a legal right or an entitlement of any kind; and
             107          (b) may be withdrawn from a person at any time without notice and without cause.
             108          (8) (a) The department shall make midterm and final reports to the Health and Human
             109      Services Interim Committee.
             110          (b) The midterm and final reports shall identify the operation and accomplishments of
             111      the pilot program described in this section.
             112          (c) The final report shall:
             113          (i) recommend whether the Legislature should convert the pilot program to an ongoing
             114      program within the department; and
             115          (ii) recommend statutory changes, if any, relating to the program.
             116          (9) The Health and Human Services Interim Committee shall:
             117          (a) determine whether the pilot program described in this section should be converted
             118      to an ongoing program within the department; and
             119          (b) if the Health and Human Services Interim Committee determines that the pilot
             120      program should be converted to an ongoing program, prepare legislation to implement that


             121      conversion.
             122          Section 2. Section 63I-1-226 is amended to read:
             123           63I-1-226. Repeal dates, Title 26.
             124          (1) Title 26, Chapter 9f, Utah Digital Health Service Commission Act, is repealed July
             125      1, 2015.
             126          (2) Section 26-10-11 is repealed July 1, 2015.
             127          [(2)] (3) Section 26-18-12 , Expansion of 340B drug pricing programs, is repealed July
             128      1, 2013.
             129          [(3)] (4) Section 26-21-23 , Licensing of non-Medicaid nursing care facility beds, is
             130      repealed July 1, 2016.
             131          [(4)] (5) Section 26-21-211 is repealed July 1, 2013.
             132          [(5)] (6) Title 26, Chapter 33a, Utah Health Data Authority Act, is repealed July 1,
             133      2014.
             134          [(6)] (7) Title 26, Chapter 36a, Hospital Provider Assessment Act, is repealed July 1,
             135      2013.
             136          [(7)] (8) Section 26-38-2.5 is repealed July 1, 2017.
             137          [(8)] (9) Section 26-38-2.6 is repealed July 1, 2017.
             138          Section 3. Appropriation.
             139          Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, for
             140      the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2014, the following sums of money
             141      are appropriated from resources not otherwise appropriated, or reduced from amounts
             142      previously appropriated, and out of the funds or accounts indicated. These sums of money are
             143      in addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2014.
             144          To General Fund Restricted - Children's Hearing Aid Pilot Program Account
             145          From General Fund, ongoing                             $100,000
             146          Schedule of Programs:
             147              General Fund Restricted - Children's Hearing
             148              Aid Pilot Program Account                $100,000
             149          To Department of Health - Family Health and Preparedness
             150          From General Fund Restricted - Children's Hearing Aid
             151          Pilot Program Account, ongoing                        $100,000


             152          Schedule of Programs:
             153          Department of Health - Family Health and Preparedness    $100,000
             154          The Legislature intends that:
             155          (1) the Department of Health use appropriations under this section to provide hearing
             156      aids to children according to the requirements of Section 26-10-11 ; and
             157          (2) the appropriations under this section be ongoing in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 only.
             158          Section 4. Effective date.
             159          (1) Except as provided in Subsection (2), this bill takes effect on May 14, 2013.
             160          (2) Uncodified Section 3, Appropriation, takes effect on July 1, 2013.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-20-13 5:35 PM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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