TX
Texas Senate Bill SB790

Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB790 Compare Versions

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1-S.B. No. 790
1+By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 790
2+ (Howard)
23
34
5+ A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
46 AN ACT
5- relating to county and municipal authority to balance bill for
6- county or municipal air or ground ambulance services and to a study
7- regarding billing by ground ambulance service providers.
7+ relating to county authority to balance bill for county air
8+ ambulance services.
89 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
910 SECTION 1. Section 113.902(a), Local Government Code, is
1011 amended to read as follows:
11- (a) Except as provided by Section 140.013, the [The] county
12+ (a) Except as provided by Section 113.9025, the [The] county
1213 treasurer shall direct prosecution for the recovery of any debt
1314 owed to the county, as provided by law, and shall supervise the
1415 collection of the debt.
15- SECTION 2. Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended
16- by adding Section 140.013 to read as follows:
17- Sec. 140.013. BALANCE BILLING FOR COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL
18- AMBULANCE SERVICES. (a) "Balance billing" means the practice of
19- charging an enrollee in a health benefit plan to recover from the
20- enrollee the balance of a health care provider's fee for a service
21- received by the enrollee from the health care provider that is not
22- fully reimbursed by the enrollee's health benefit plan.
23- (b) A county or municipality may elect to consider a health
24- benefit plan payment towards a claim for air or ground ambulance
25- services provided by the county or municipality as payment in full
26- for those services regardless of the amount the county or
27- municipality charged for those services.
28- (c) A county or municipality may not practice balance
29- billing for a claim for which the county or municipality makes an
30- election under Subsection (b).
31- SECTION 3. (a) In this section, "department" means the
32- Texas Department of Insurance.
33- (b) The department shall conduct a study on the balance
34- billing practices of ground ambulance service providers, the
35- variations in prices for ground ambulance services, the proportion
36- of ground ambulances that are in-network, trends in network
37- inclusion, and factors contributing to the network status of ground
38- ambulances. The department may seek the assistance of the
39- Department of State Health Services in conducting the study.
40- (c) Not later than December 1, 2022, the department shall
41- provide a written report of the results of the study conducted under
42- Subsection (b) of this section to the governor, lieutenant
43- governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and members of
44- the standing committees of the legislature with primary
45- jurisdiction over the department.
46- (d) This section expires September 1, 2023.
47- SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
48- ______________________________ ______________________________
49- President of the Senate Speaker of the House
50- I hereby certify that S.B. No. 790 passed the Senate on
51- April 9, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that the
52- Senate concurred in House amendments on May 28, 2021, by the
53- following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
54- ______________________________
55- Secretary of the Senate
56- I hereby certify that S.B. No. 790 passed the House, with
57- amendments, on May 25, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 117,
58- Nays 26, two present not voting.
59- ______________________________
60- Chief Clerk of the House
61- Approved:
62- ______________________________
63- Date
64- ______________________________
65- Governor
16+ SECTION 2. Subchapter Z, Chapter 113, Local Government
17+ Code, is amended by adding Section 113.9025 to read as follows:
18+ Sec. 113.9025. BALANCE BILLING FOR COUNTY AIR AMBULANCE
19+ SERVICES. (a) "Balance billing" means the practice of charging an
20+ enrollee in a health benefit plan to recover from the enrollee the
21+ balance of a health care provider's fee for a service received by
22+ the enrollee from the health care provider that is not fully
23+ reimbursed by the enrollee's health benefit plan.
24+ (b) A county may elect to consider a health benefit plan
25+ payment towards a claim for air ambulance services provided by the
26+ county as payment in full for those services regardless of the
27+ amount the county charged for those services.
28+ (c) A county may not practice balance billing for a claim
29+ for which the county makes an election under Subsection (b).
30+ SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.