By:  Sibley                                            S.B. No. 216
       73R1275 DLF-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to uniform health insurance claim forms.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 3, Insurance Code, is
    1-5  amended by adding Article 3.51-11 to read as follows:
    1-6        Art. 3.51-11.  UNIFORM HEALTH INSURANCE CLAIM FORMS.   (a)
    1-7  In this article, "health insurance policy" means an individual,
    1-8  group, blanket, or franchise insurance policy, insurance agreement,
    1-9  or group hospital service contract that provides benefits for
   1-10  medical or surgical expenses incurred as a result of an accident or
   1-11  sickness.
   1-12        (b)  The board by rule shall adopt a uniform health insurance
   1-13  claim form to be used to claim a benefit payable under a health
   1-14  insurance policy.
   1-15        (c)  An insurer may not require a person to submit a claim
   1-16  for a benefit payable under a health insurance policy on a claim
   1-17  form other than the uniform health insurance claim form.
   1-18        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993, and
   1-19  applies only to a claim form used to claim a benefit under an
   1-20  insurance policy on or after January 1, 1994.  A claim form used to
   1-21  claim a benefit under an insurance policy before January 1, 1994,
   1-22  is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the
   1-23  effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for
   1-24  that purpose.
    2-1        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-3  emergency   and   an   imperative   public   necessity   that   the
    2-4  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-5  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.