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House Bill 103 |
House Author: Brown, Fred |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Patrick, Dan |
House Bill 103 amends the Education Code to require a general academic teaching institution with a student enrollment of more than 20,000 students in the preceding academic year to offer or sponsor, directly or through the university system of which the institution is a component, if applicable, one or more student health benefit plans, including at least one high deductible health plan, and to collect information from each student who declines to accept the coverage offered through the institution, including specific factors in the student's decision to decline coverage.
The bill requires the student health center of an institution of higher education with a student enrollment described above to assist a student or other person entitled to obtain health care services through the health center in receiving benefits under a health benefit plan in which that individual is an enrollee by filing or having a claim filed with the plan issuer on the individual's behalf and authorizes the institution to contract with a third-party billing service to provide this assistance. The bill authorizes an institution to contract on the health center's behalf with a health benefit plan issuer in the health service region established by the Department of State Health Services in which the institution is located to provide a health benefit plan covering health care services for students or other persons entitled to obtain health care services through the health center. The bill requires an institution to enter into contracts with at least three of the largest such health benefit plan issuers under which the institution's student health center serves either as a preferred provider under the issuers' preferred provider benefit plans or as a provider of in-network coverage under the issuers' health maintenance organizations, as applicable. The bill authorizes an institution to authorize the institution's health center to accept a student's medical services fee as payment toward a copayment, a deductible, or a charge or service not covered by the student's health benefit plan and requires money received by the health center as a result of a claim filed by or on behalf of a student through a health benefit plan to be retained for use by the student health center.
The bill requires the governing board of an institution to report to the legislature not later than January 15 of each year the amount of money received for funding the institution's health center from student fees and charges, from the operation of the student health center's pharmacy, and as a result of claims filed by or on behalf of the institution's health center under a health benefit plan sponsored by or administered on behalf of the institution or under another plan.
Reason Given for Veto: 'House Bill No. 103 amends current law relating to student health benefit plan provisions at public institutions of higher education and health benefit plan operations through student health centers (SHCs).
'The bill requires general academic teaching institutions with more than 20,000 enrolled students to offer one or more health benefit plans, at least one of which must be a high-deductible plan.
'House Bill No. 103 also requires these institutions to accept and process private health insurance at SHCs. SHCs must file insurance claims for covered individuals. The institutions may contract with a third-party billing service to provide assistance.
'While I appreciate the author’s intent to increase efficiency in our universities’ health care systems, House Bill No. 103 would likely increase health service costs for college students and their families without increasing the level of service or care. Currently, SHCs may file claims for students with private health insurance, but choose not to do so because of the high cost associated with filing claims with the large number of health plans that serve students. Since most SHCs do not have the administrative and technical capacity required to do insurance billing, SHCs would need to increase staff or contract this service to a third-party administrator; either option would needlessly increase costs to students.
'SHCs are designed to provide limited basic care services to students at low cost. Combined with a mandatory fee and inexpensive office visits, SHCs have been effective in helping students with their basic medical needs.
'Delivering reasonable health care to students is important, but House Bill No. 103 would precipitate a significant departure from current practices at SHCs without appreciably improving student health or access to care. Before undertaking such a dramatic shift in the administration of these services, we owe it to students and their families to take a closer look at the overall impact. Therefore, I am recommending that the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House conduct an interim study to review this issue.'