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Senate Bill 500 |
Senate Author: West, Royce |
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Effective: 6-17-05 |
House Sponsor: Taylor et al. |
Senate Bill 500 amends provisions of the Insurance Code relating to illegal pricing practices by providers of health care services to exempt from such provisions health care services to patients who are covered by federal, state, or local government-sponsored indigent health care programs; patients who are financially, as well as medically, indigent; patients who qualify for indigent health care services based on a written charity care policy established by a health care provider; and persons who are not covered by a health insurance policy or similar plan that qualifies for services for the uninsured based on a written policy established by a health care provider. The bill provides that the illegal pricing provisions do not authorize health care provider policies or contracts that violate other state or federal laws and do not prohibit providers from contracting with health insurance policy or plan issuers to provide services that are covered by the policy or plan or with a preferred provider organization that contracts with such an issuer.