| 1 | 1 | | 89R14952 AJA-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Paxton S.B. No. 2418 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to timely billing requirements for health care service |
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| 10 | 10 | | providers. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Sections 146.002(a), (b), and (c), Civil |
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| 13 | 13 | | Practice and Remedies Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) or (c), a health |
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| 15 | 15 | | care service provider shall bill a patient or other responsible |
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| 16 | 16 | | person for services provided to the patient not later than the 90th |
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| 17 | 17 | | day [first day of the 11th month] after the date the services are |
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| 18 | 18 | | provided. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) If the health care service provider is required or |
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| 20 | 20 | | authorized to directly bill the issuer of a health benefit plan for |
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| 21 | 21 | | services provided to a patient, the health care service provider |
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| 22 | 22 | | shall bill the issuer of the plan not later than: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) the date required under any contract between the |
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| 24 | 24 | | health care service provider and the issuer of the health benefit |
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| 25 | 25 | | plan; or |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) if there is no contract between the health care |
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| 27 | 27 | | service provider and the issuer of the health benefit plan, the 90th |
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| 28 | 28 | | day [first day of the 11th month] after the date the services are |
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| 29 | 29 | | provided. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) If the health care service provider is required or |
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| 31 | 31 | | authorized to directly bill a third party payor operating under |
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| 32 | 32 | | federal or state law, including Medicare and the state Medicaid |
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| 33 | 33 | | program, the health care service provider shall bill the third |
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| 34 | 34 | | party payor not later than: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) the date required under any contract between the |
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| 36 | 36 | | health care service provider and the third party payor or the date |
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| 37 | 37 | | required by federal regulation or state rule, as applicable; or |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) if there is no contract between the health care |
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| 39 | 39 | | service provider and the third party payor and there is no |
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| 40 | 40 | | applicable federal regulation or state rule, the 90th day [first |
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| 41 | 41 | | day of the 11th month] after the date the services are provided. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 43 | 43 | | to health care services provided on or after the effective date of |
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| 44 | 44 | | this Act. Health care services provided before the effective date |
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| 45 | 45 | | of this Act are governed by the law as it existed immediately before |
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| 46 | 46 | | the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect |
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| 47 | 47 | | for that purpose. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 49 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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