HB 4 (Price/Buckingham) relating to the provision and delivery of certain health care services in this state, including services under Medicaid and other public benefits programs, using telecommunications or information technology and to reimbursement for some of those services. HB 4 would extend certain COVID telemedicine flexibilities, allowing Medicaid and CHIP services to be delivered under telemedicine, additional fee reimbursement for covered telemedicine services delivered by rural health clinics, and audio-only option for certain behavioral health services. HB 4 was sent to the Governor on 5/31.
HB 18 (Oliverson/Kolkhorst) relating to establishment of the prescription drug savings program for certain uninsured individuals. HB 18 requires HHSC to develop a prescription drug savings program making prescription drugs available at a discounted rate to uninsured individuals and allows HHSC to contract to administer the program. The bill would also establish a trust fund administered by HHSC to fund the program, as well as studies on implementation of the drug savings program overall and of insulin specifically. HB 18 was sent to the Governor on 5/31.
HB 133 (Rose/Kolkhorst) relating to the provision of certain benefits under Medicaid and the Healthy Texas Women program, including the transition of case management for children and pregnant women program services and Healthy Texas Women program services to a managed care program. HB 133 would allow 6 months of coverage postpartum for mothers enrolled in Medicaid during pregnancy and also transfer certain Healthy Texas Women program functions into Medicaid managed care, including case management services under DSHS. HB 133 was sent to the Governor on 5/31.
HB 1033 (Oliverson/Hancock) relating to prescription drug price disclosure. HB 1033 expands drug price reporting by requiring manufacturers to disclose research and development costs annually in addition to WAC and price increases. The bill also shifts oversight to DSHS and allows DSHS to administer a fee for implementation and establish fines for failures to disclose price increases. HB 1033 was signed by the Governor and will be effective on September 1, 2021.
HB 1616 (Bonnen/Huffman) would establish a streamlined process for multi-state licensure for physicians under the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. HB 1616 was sent to the Governor on 5/26
HB 1935 (Bucy/Miles) relating to emergency refills of insulin and insulin-related equipment or supplies. HB 1935 allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency 30-day supply for insulin and establishes dispensing recording and reporting requirements. HB 1935 was sent to the Governor on 5/31.
HB 2056 (Klick/Perry) relating to the practice of dentistry and the provision of teledentistry dental services. HB 2056 amends the current telehealth statute to include teledentistry, dentists, and dental hygienists and gives authority to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners to promulgate rules. The bill was sent to the Governor on 5/28.
HB 2658 (Frank/Kolkhorst) Relating to the Medicaid program, including the administration and operation of the Medicaid managed care program. HB 2658 establishes several efficiency initiatives for the Medicaid program, including directing HHSC to develop a program to reduce avoidable hospital transports, study cost-effectiveness of providing nurse aides in certain care settings, and study interest list management through online portals, among other provisions. HHSC is also directed to adopt rules requiring parental consent for ISDs to receive reimbursement under school health and related services programs and to work with THECB and TWC to develop academic or workforce education credits for health-related fields. HB 2658 was sent to the Governor on 6/1.
HB 2822 (Hull/Buckingham) Relating to the availability of antipsychotic prescription drugs under the vendor drug program and Medicaid managed care. HB 2822 alters the prior authorization process for certain patients with Serious Mental Illness (SMI). MCOs will be required to update the PBM pharmacy claims system to recognize when patients fail a 14-try trial of a preferred antipsychotic within the previous year and automatically approve a non-preferred prescription. HB 2822 was sent to the Governor on 5/26.
HB 3459 (Bonnen/Buckingham) relating to preauthorization requirements for certain health care services and utilization review for certain health benefit plans. HB 3459 prohibits an HMO or insurer from requiring a preauthorization process for physicians or providers with high preauthorization approval for particular health care services. The bill also directs the HMO or insurer to provide notice on which services this applies to and specifies that the exemption extends for 1 year. HB 3459 was sent to the Governor on 6/1.
SB 284 (Seliger/Allison) would require the Texas Medical Board to prepare a one-time report on the performance of out-of-state licensed physicians who practiced in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 284 was sent to the Governor on 5/20.
SB 672 (Buckingham/Bonnen) would allow for the use of and reimbursement for Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) to address mental health conditions in Medicaid. SB 672 was sent to the Governor on 5/24.
SB 809 (Kolkhorst/Hinojosa) would require health care providers to report federal money received for the COVID-19 public health emergency. The initial report is directed to include all federal money received from January 31, 2020 until August 31, 2021. Providers are not required to report money received via Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loans or money that was returned or repaid to the federal government. SB 809 was sent to the Governor on 5/29.
SB 1136 (Kolkhorst/Frank) relating to implementation of certain health care provider initiatives and measures designed to reduce costs and improve recipient health outcomes under Medicaid. SB 1136 seeks to address DSRIP program funding ending on Sept. 30, 2021, by directing HHSC to work in concert with hospitals and other providers receiving UC funds to identify and implement initiatives designed to reduce use of ER services as primary care. The bill also directs HHSC to encourage Medicaid providers to continue programs and best practices developed under the DSRIP program. SB 1136 was sent to the Governor on 5/24.
SB 1244 (Perry/Oliverson) relating to the award of health plan provider contracts under Medicaid managed care. SB 1244 requires HHSC to evaluate and certify that an MCO is reasonably able to fulfill the terms of a contract under the Medicaid managed care program before awarding the contract. HB 1244 was sent to the Governor on 6/1.
SB 1827 (Huffman/Holland) relating to the creation of the opioid abatement account, an opioid abatement trust fund, and a statewide opioid settlement agreement. SB 1827 describes the role of the Opioid Abatement Fund Council in allocating funds and establishes legal framework for state distribution of opioid settlement funds, including 15% into a statewide GR-D account, 15% to political subdivisions. Under agreed upon language, 15% of the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund goes to hospitals. SB 1827 was sent to the Governor on 6/1.
SB 1829 (Hinojosa/Klick) relating to maintaining and distributing certain Medicaid managed care directories. SB 1829 requires the HHSC to ensure MCOs maintain an accurate electronic directory of contact information for Medicaid recipients enrolled in a managed care plan and electronically send this directory to HHSC monthly. SB 1829 was sent to the Governor on 5/20.
