HHSC chooses members for Frew technical advisory committee

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has named 16 “health care experts” to serve on a technical advisory committee that will choose which initiatives best serve the medical and dental needs of poor Texas children, according to a Sept. 24 press release. Jane Rider, M.D., a pediatrician from San Angelo and Primary Care Coalition member, will serve as chair of the group.

The 80th Legislature appropriated $150 million for statewide strategic initiatives to improve access to medical and dental checkups for children in the Medicaid program. This appropriation fulfills part of the settlement of the Frew v. Hawkins lawsuit—a 14-year old case that alleged Texas children didn’t have proper access to federally mandated early periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment services .

The proposed strategic initiatives came from a series of public meetings and submitted proposals. An HHSC-formed group of state agency employees from the Medicaid and CHIP Division, the Department of State Health Services, the Office of Eligibility Services, the Office of Family Services and others analyzed the projects and developed operational plans for each one. The technical advisory committee will analyze the proposed strategies to discuss feasibility, cost and other factors, and advise HHSC which projects to fund.

In early September, HHSC released the Frew expenditure plan to Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislative Budget Board. Read about the Frew proposals here.