By Averitt H.B. No. 1924 76R7826 PB-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to health insurance provided through the Texas Health 1-3 Insurance Risk Pool. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Section 2(7), Article 3.77, Insurance Code, is 1-6 amended to read as follows: 1-7 (7) "Health insurance" means individual or group 1-8 health insurance and includes any hospital and medical expense 1-9 incurred policy, a fraternal benefit society, a stipulated premium 1-10 company, an approved nonprofit health corporation, health 1-11 maintenance organization subscriber contract, coverage by a group 1-12 hospital service plan, a multiple employer welfare arrangement 1-13 subject to Subchapter I of this chapter, or any other health care 1-14 plan or arrangement that pays for or furnishes medical or health 1-15 care services whether by insurance or otherwise. The term does not 1-16 include short-term, accident, dental-only, vision-only, fixed 1-17 indemnity, credit insurance, long-term care, disability, or other 1-18 limited benefit insurance, coverage issued as a supplement to 1-19 liability insurance, insurance arising out of a workers' 1-20 compensation or similar law, automobile medical-payment insurance, 1-21 or insurance under which benefits are payable with or without 1-22 regard to fault and which is statutorily required to be contained 1-23 in any liability insurance policy or equivalent self-insurance. 1-24 SECTION 2. Article 3.77, Insurance Code, as amended by this 2-1 Act, applies only to an insurance policy, contract, or evidence of 2-2 coverage delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after 2-3 January 1, 2000. A policy, contract, or evidence of coverage 2-4 delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before January 1, 2000, 2-5 is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the 2-6 effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for 2-7 that purpose. 2-8 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-9 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 2-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.