Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR850 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Menéndez S.R. No. 850
2	2
3	3
4	4		SENATE RESOLUTION
5	5		BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State
6	6		of Texas, 86th Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, That House
7	7		Rule 13, Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House
8	8		Rule 13, Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee
9	9		appointed to resolve the differences on Senate Bill 1742
10	10		(physician and health care provider directories,
11	11		preauthorization, utilization review, independent review, and
12	12		peer review for certain health benefit plans and workers'
13	13		compensation coverage) to consider and take action on the
14	14		following matter:
15	15		House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit the
16	16		conference committee to add text on a matter not included in
17	17		either the house or senate version of the bill by adding the
18	18		following new ARTICLE to the bill:
19	19		ARTICLE 4. JOINT INTERIM STUDY
20		-	SECTION 4.01. CREATION OF JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEE.
21		-	~~(a)~~ A joint interim committee is created to study, review, and
22		-	~~report~~ on the use of prior authorization and utilization review
	20	+	SECTION 4.01. CREATION OF JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEE. (a)
	21	+	A joint interim committee is created to study, review, and report
	22	+	on the use of prior authorization and utilization review
23	23		processes by private health benefit plan issuers in this state,
24	24		as provided by Section 4.02 of this article, and propose reforms
25	25		under that section related to the transparency of and improving
26	26		patient outcomes under the prior authorization and utilization
27	27		review processes used by private health benefit plan issuers in
28	28		this state.
29	29		(b) The joint interim committee shall be composed of four
30	30		senators appointed by the lieutenant governor and four members of
31	31		the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the
32	32		house of representatives.
33	33		(c) The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
34	34		representatives shall each designate a co-chair from among the
35	35		joint interim committee members.
36	36		(d) The joint interim committee shall convene at the
37	37		joint call of the co-chairs.
38	38		(e) The joint interim committee has all other powers and
39	39		duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of
40	40		the senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter
41	41		301, Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house
42	42		committees on administration.
43	43		SECTION 4.02. INTERIM STUDY REGARDING PRIOR
44	44		AUTHORIZATION AND UTILIZATION REVIEW PROCESSES. (a) The joint
45	45		interim committee created by Section 4.01 of this article shall
46	46		study data and other information available from the Texas
47	47		Department of Insurance, the office of public insurance counsel,
48	48		or other sources the committee determines relevant to examine and
49	49		analyze the transparency of and improving patient outcomes under
50	50		the prior authorization and utilization review processes used by
51	51		private health benefit plan issuers in this state.
52	52		(b) The joint interim committee shall propose reforms
53	53		based on the study required under Subsection (a) of this section
54	54		to improve the transparency of and patient outcomes under prior
55	55		authorization and utilization review processes in this state.
56	56		(c) The joint interim committee shall prepare a report of
57	57		the findings and proposed reforms.
58	58		SECTION 4.03. COMMITTEE FINDINGS AND PROPOSED REFORMS.
59	59		(a) Not later than December 1, 2020, the joint interim committee
60	60		created under Section 4.01 of this article shall submit to the
61	61		lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
62	62		representatives, and the governor the report prepared under
63	63		Section 4.02 of this article. The joint interim committee shall
64	64		include in its report recommendations of specific statutory and
65	65		regulatory changes that appear necessary from the committee's
66	66		study under Section 4.02 of this article.
67	67		(b) Not later than the 60th day after the effective date
68	68		of this Act, the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
69	69		representatives shall appoint the members of the joint interim
70	70		committee in accordance with Section 4.01 of this article.
71	71		SECTION 4.04. ABOLITION OF COMMITTEE. The joint interim
72	72		committee created under Section 4.01 of this article is abolished
73	73		and this article expires December 15, 2020.
74	74		Explanation: The addition is necessary to provide for the
75	75		interim study of the use of prior authorization and utilization
76	76		review processes by health benefit plan issuers in this state and
77	77		the proposal of reforms to improve the transparency of and
78	78		patient outcomes under those processes.
79		-	_______________________________
80		-	President of the Senate
81		-	I hereby certify that the
82		-	above Resolution was adopted by
83		-	the Senate on May 26, 2019, by
84		-	the following vote: Yeas 31,
85		-	Nays 0.
86		-	_______________________________
87		-	Secretary of the Senate