By: Murr H.B. No. 317
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to prohibiting discrimination against living organ donors
by certain insurers.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Texas Living Organ
Donor Act.
SECTION 2. Chapter 544, Insurance Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter M to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER M. LIVING ORGAN DONORS
Sec. 544.601. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "living
organ donor" means a living individual who donates an organ to
another individual.
Sec. 544.602. PROHIBITIONS. An insurer may not solely:
(1) use the fact that an individual is a living organ
donor to reject, deny, limit, cancel, refuse to renew, increase the
premiums for, or otherwise adversely affect the individual's
eligibility for, cost of, or coverage under a life insurance policy
or contract, disability insurance policy, or long-term care
insurance policy offered by the insurer; or
(2) prevent an insured from donating all or part of an
organ as a condition of continuing coverage under a life insurance
policy or contract, disability insurance policy, or long-term care
insurance policy.
SECTION 3. Section 544.602, Insurance Code, as added by
this Act, applies only to an insurance policy or contract that is
delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1,
2022. A policy or contract that is delivered, issued for delivery,
or renewed before January 1, 2022, is governed by the law as it
existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.