| 1 | 1 | | 84R3583 PMO-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 818 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the establishment of a health benefit exchange tailored |
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| 8 | 8 | | to the needs of the state. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. (a) The Health and Human Services Commission, |
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| 11 | 11 | | the Texas Department of Insurance, or the commission in conjunction |
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| 12 | 12 | | with the department, shall negotiate with the appropriate federal |
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| 13 | 13 | | entity for authorization to develop a state health benefit |
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| 14 | 14 | | exchange. The negotiated authorization must allow the state health |
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| 15 | 15 | | benefit exchange to be flexible, patient-friendly, tailored to the |
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| 16 | 16 | | needs of the state, and similar to the health benefit exchange |
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| 17 | 17 | | described in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. |
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| 18 | 18 | | L. No. 111-148). |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) If the appropriate federal entity authorizes a state |
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| 20 | 20 | | health benefit exchange described in Subsection (a) of this |
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| 21 | 21 | | section, the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas |
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| 22 | 22 | | Department of Insurance, or the commission in conjunction with the |
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| 23 | 23 | | department, shall develop and implement the health benefit |
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| 24 | 24 | | exchange. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 26 | 26 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 27 | 27 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 28 | 28 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 29 | 29 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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