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AN ACT
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relating to county and municipal authority to balance bill for |
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county or municipal air or ground ambulance services and to a study |
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regarding billing by ground ambulance service providers. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 113.902(a), Local Government Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Except as provided by Section 140.013, the [The] county |
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treasurer shall direct prosecution for the recovery of any debt |
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owed to the county, as provided by law, and shall supervise the |
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collection of the debt. |
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SECTION 2. Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended |
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by adding Section 140.013 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 140.013. BALANCE BILLING FOR COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL |
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AMBULANCE SERVICES. (a) "Balance billing" means the practice of |
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charging an enrollee in a health benefit plan to recover from the |
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enrollee the balance of a health care provider's fee for a service |
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received by the enrollee from the health care provider that is not |
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fully reimbursed by the enrollee's health benefit plan. |
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(b) A county or municipality may elect to consider a health |
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benefit plan payment towards a claim for air or ground ambulance |
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services provided by the county or municipality as payment in full |
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for those services regardless of the amount the county or |
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municipality charged for those services. |
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(c) A county or municipality may not practice balance |
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billing for a claim for which the county or municipality makes an |
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election under Subsection (b). |
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SECTION 3. (a) In this section, "department" means the |
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Texas Department of Insurance. |
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(b) The department shall conduct a study on the balance |
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billing practices of ground ambulance service providers, the |
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variations in prices for ground ambulance services, the proportion |
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of ground ambulances that are in-network, trends in network |
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inclusion, and factors contributing to the network status of ground |
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ambulances. The department may seek the assistance of the |
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Department of State Health Services in conducting the study. |
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(c) Not later than December 1, 2022, the department shall |
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provide a written report of the results of the study conducted under |
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Subsection (b) of this section to the governor, lieutenant |
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governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and members of |
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the standing committees of the legislature with primary |
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jurisdiction over the department. |
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(d) This section expires September 1, 2023. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I hereby certify that S.B. No. 790 passed the Senate on |
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April 9, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that the |
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Senate concurred in House amendments on May 28, 2021, by the |
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following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that S.B. No. 790 passed the House, with |
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amendments, on May 25, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 117, |
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Nays 26, two present not voting. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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Approved: |
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______________________________ |
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Date |
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______________________________ |
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Governor |