BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1942 By: Smithee Insurance Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The number of Texans seeking coverage from individual and small group health insurance plans and the Health Insurance Marketplace has risen to 5.5 million, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This growth leads to challenges within health insurance provider networks, as Becker's Hospital Review ranks Texas 48th in the nation for supply of primary care providers. A contributing factor to this shortage is the state's current requirement that advanced practice registered nurses serve as primary care providers for certain health insurance plans if their delegating physician also participates in that plan. This stipulation limits the number of available providers in a health plan's network, potentially affecting access to care for patients, particularly in rural and underserved areas. In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed S.B. 654 to address the shortage of primary care providers by removing the requirement that advanced practice registered nurses accept Medicaid insurance plans if their delegating physician also accepts those plans. H.B. 1942 extends the same flexibilities granted to Medicaid plans to all state-regulated health plans, allowing health plans to contract with advanced practice registered nurses regardless of their delegating physician's participation in the same plan. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 1942 amends the Insurance Code to authorize a health maintenance organization (HMO) to contract directly with an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to provide health care services on behalf of the HMO, and an insurer offering a preferred provider benefit plan to designate an APRN as a preferred provider, regardless of whether the physician supervising the APRN provides health care services for the HMO or is a preferred provider, as applicable. The bill's provisions may not be construed as authorizing an HMO or insurer to supervise or control the practice of medicine as prohibited by provisions relating to health professions. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 1942
By: Smithee
Insurance
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 1942
By: Smithee
Insurance
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The number of Texans seeking coverage from individual and small group health insurance plans and the Health Insurance Marketplace has risen to 5.5 million, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This growth leads to challenges within health insurance provider networks, as Becker's Hospital Review ranks Texas 48th in the nation for supply of primary care providers. A contributing factor to this shortage is the state's current requirement that advanced practice registered nurses serve as primary care providers for certain health insurance plans if their delegating physician also participates in that plan. This stipulation limits the number of available providers in a health plan's network, potentially affecting access to care for patients, particularly in rural and underserved areas. In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed S.B. 654 to address the shortage of primary care providers by removing the requirement that advanced practice registered nurses accept Medicaid insurance plans if their delegating physician also accepts those plans. H.B. 1942 extends the same flexibilities granted to Medicaid plans to all state-regulated health plans, allowing health plans to contract with advanced practice registered nurses regardless of their delegating physician's participation in the same plan.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 1942 amends the Insurance Code to authorize a health maintenance organization (HMO) to contract directly with an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to provide health care services on behalf of the HMO, and an insurer offering a preferred provider benefit plan to designate an APRN as a preferred provider, regardless of whether the physician supervising the APRN provides health care services for the HMO or is a preferred provider, as applicable. The bill's provisions may not be construed as authorizing an HMO or insurer to supervise or control the practice of medicine as prohibited by provisions relating to health professions.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The number of Texans seeking coverage from individual and small group health insurance plans and the Health Insurance Marketplace has risen to 5.5 million, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This growth leads to challenges within health insurance provider networks, as Becker's Hospital Review ranks Texas 48th in the nation for supply of primary care providers. A contributing factor to this shortage is the state's current requirement that advanced practice registered nurses serve as primary care providers for certain health insurance plans if their delegating physician also participates in that plan. This stipulation limits the number of available providers in a health plan's network, potentially affecting access to care for patients, particularly in rural and underserved areas. In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed S.B. 654 to address the shortage of primary care providers by removing the requirement that advanced practice registered nurses accept Medicaid insurance plans if their delegating physician also accepts those plans. H.B. 1942 extends the same flexibilities granted to Medicaid plans to all state-regulated health plans, allowing health plans to contract with advanced practice registered nurses regardless of their delegating physician's participation in the same plan.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 1942 amends the Insurance Code to authorize a health maintenance organization (HMO) to contract directly with an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to provide health care services on behalf of the HMO, and an insurer offering a preferred provider benefit plan to designate an APRN as a preferred provider, regardless of whether the physician supervising the APRN provides health care services for the HMO or is a preferred provider, as applicable. The bill's provisions may not be construed as authorizing an HMO or insurer to supervise or control the practice of medicine as prohibited by provisions relating to health professions.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.