By:  Taylor                                                       H.B. No. 3023



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to improving access to health care for the citizens of 
Texas by providing for the reimbursement and use of particular 
health care practitioners who are licensed by the state to provide 
certain services.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 3, Article 21.52, Insurance Code, 
subsection (d) is amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 3.  SELECTION OF PRACTITIONERS.  (d)  There shall not 
be any classification, differentiation, or other discrimination in 
the Payment schedule or in the payment provisions in a health 
insurance Policy, nor in the amount or manner of payment or 
reimbursement Thereunder, between scheduled services or procedures 
when performed by a doctor of podiatric medicine, a doctor of 
optometry, a doctor of chiropractic, a licensed dentist, an 
occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a licensed 
audiologist, a licensed speech-language pathologist, a licensed 
master social worker--advanced clinical practitioner, a licensed 
dietitian, a licensed professional counselor, a licensed marriage 
and family therapist, a psychologist, a licensed psychological 
associate, a licensed chemical dependency counselor, an advanced 
practice nurse or a registered nurse first assistant to provide the 
services scheduled in the policy, a physician assistant or a 
licensed surgical assistant to provide the services scheduled in 
the policy, a licensed acupuncturist, a licensed hearing instrument 
fitter and dispenser, or which fall within the scope of that 
practitioner's license or certification and the same services or 
procedures when performed by an other practitioner of the healing 
arts who services or procedures are covered by the policy.  However, 
a health insurance policy may provide for a different amount of 
payment or reimbursement for scheduled services or procedures when 
performed by an advanced practice nurse or physician assistant 
provided the reimbursement methodology used to calculate the 
payment for the service or procedure is the same methodology used to 
calculate the payment when the service or procedure is provided by a 
physician.  This section applies to a carrier's rate of payment of 
reimbursement to these types of providers or practitioners under a 
health insurance policy; it does not apply to an insured 
cost-sharing amounts, such as coinsurance, copayments or 
deductibles.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.