By Gallego, Isett, Farabee, Eiland, Clark,            H.B. No. 1919
         76R13131 AJA-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to legislative review of health care benefits that are
 1-3     mandated to be provided by health benefit plans.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  JOINT INTERIM COMMITTEE ON HEALTH BENEFIT
 1-6     MANDATES.  (a)  The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the
 1-7     house of representatives shall appoint a joint interim committee to
 1-8     study health care benefits mandated by law to be provided by health
 1-9     benefit plans.
1-10           (b)  The committee shall:
1-11                 (1)  determine:
1-12                       (A)  the extent that mandated health care
1-13     benefits, individually and collectively, increase or have increased
1-14     the premium costs of health benefits coverage and the effect of any
1-15     increased premium costs on the affordability and availability of
1-16     health benefit coverage to consumers;
1-17                       (B)  the effect of the mandated benefits,
1-18     individually and collectively, on improving and maintaining the
1-19     health of the state's residents;
1-20                       (C)  the number and percentage of residents
1-21     covered by a health benefit plan that is subject to a mandate who
1-22     have made or are anticipated to make a claim for each mandated
1-23     benefit; and
1-24                       (D)  whether alternatives to each mandated
1-25     benefit, including elimination or revision of the mandated benefit
 2-1     or conversion of the mandated benefit to a mandated offer of
 2-2     coverage for that benefit, are feasible and what impact those
 2-3     alternatives might have on other matters considered by the
 2-4     committee;
 2-5                 (2)  develop recommendations regarding methods that
 2-6     would allow the legislature to accurately and timely assess the
 2-7     costs and benefits of proposed mandated benefits; and
 2-8                 (3)  address any other issues related to health care
 2-9     benefits as determined by the committee.
2-10           (c)  The Texas Department of Insurance shall assist the
2-11     committee in conducting the study required by this Act at the
2-12     direction of the committee, using funds appropriated to the
2-13     department for that purpose or using other funds appropriated to
2-14     the department.  At the direction of the committee, the department
2-15     shall contract with other entities to assist in conducting all or
2-16     part of the study required by this Act.
2-17           (d)  The committee shall submit a report and recommendations
2-18     to the legislature in a manner established in the order of the
2-19     lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of representatives
2-20     that appoints the committee and shall operate according to
2-21     procedures established in that order.
2-22           (e)  The committee shall complete the report and
2-23     recommendations required by this Act not later than January 1,
2-24     2001.  This Act expires and the committee is abolished June 1,
2-25     2001.
2-26           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-27     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-1     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-2     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-3     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.