HBA-MSH C.S.S.B. 1181 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 1181 By: Shapleigh Insurance 5/14/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, Texas law does not require the employees of health insurance companies and related entities to disclose their identity when requested by a person insured by the company. Senate Bill 1181 requires an employee of a health benefit plan who is responsible for answering communications and questions to disclose the employee's full name, job title, and business address upon oral or written request. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 1181 amends the Insurance Code to require the issuer of a health benefit plan (issuer) to provide after an oral or written request by an insured or enrollee the name or employee identifier, mailing address, business city and state location, and job title of the employee of the issuer who is available to the enrollee or insured to respond to communications and questions from the insured or enrollee relating to coverages and benefits provided by the health benefit plan to the insured or enrollee. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.S.B. 1181 differs from the original by authorizing the issuer of a health benefit plan (issuer) to provide the employee identifier rather than the name of the appropriate employee. The substitute requires the issuer to provide the mailing address rather than the business address of the appropriate employee and to provide the business city and state location.