Texas Political Update May 9, 2022

Posted May 13, 2022

As is customary during the interim time between legislative sessions, the Texas House Insurance Committee has reserved two days – May 17 and 18 – to conduct hearings at the Capitol on a variety of topics. These hearings are typically used to review ongoing implementation of bills passed during the last session and also discuss new “hot topics” that may have arisen since the House last adjourned almost a year ago.

The posted topics for these hearings include the following health insurance related items. Anything not completed on the first day will roll to the second.

1. Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:

– HB 18, relating to the establishment of the prescription drug savings program for certain uninsured individuals;
– HB 3459, relating to preauthorization requirements for certain health care services and utilization review for certain health benefit plans;
– HB 3752, relating to the offering of health benefit coverage by subsidiaries of the Texas Mutual Insurance Company;
– HB 3924, relating to health benefits offered by certain nonprofit agricultural organizations (the new authorization for Texas Farm Bureau to begin selling health benefit type plans);
– SB 1137, relating to the required disclosure of prices for certain items and services provided by certain medical facilities;
– HB 2090, relating to the establishment of a statewide all payor claims database and health care cost disclosures by health benefit plan issuers and third-party administrators;
– SB 790, relating to county authority to balance bill for county air ambulance services.

2. Study the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association and the federal No Surprises Act(2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Public Law No. 116-620) on the Texas insurance market.

Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association;
– Federal No Surprises Act(2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Public Law No. 116-620);
– SB 1264(86R), relating to consumer protections against certain medical and health care billing by certain out-of-network providers;
– HB 1919, relating to certain prohibited practices for certain health benefit plan issuers and pharmacy benefit managers;
– HB 1763, relating to the contractual relationship between a pharmacist or pharmacy and a health benefit plan issuer or pharmacy benefit manager

Shannon Meroney

Shannon Meroney brings ten years experience as a multi-state lobbyist based primarily at the Texas Capitol and ten years of courtroom legal expertise to her dynamic government affairs consulting practice. Prior to creating Meroney Public Affairs LLC, Shannon spent six years as a Senior Government Relations Manager for Aetna, a Fortune 100 health insurance corporation with multi-state responsibility. Previous to that, she was a Partner at the Texas law firm Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons representing multiple corporate clients and large trade associations at the Capitol, in the courtroom and providing legal drafting and analysis expertise.