LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 84TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 23, 2015

TO:	Honorable Kevin Eltife, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB425 by Schwertner (Relating to health care information provided by and notice of facility fees charged by certain freestanding emergency medical care facilities and the availability of mediation.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code to require freestanding emergency medical care facilities to post a notice and provide certain information to customers, including facility fees. The bill would treat freestanding emergency medical care facilities in the same manner as other facilities relating to consumer access to health care information. The bill would amend the Insurance Code to require freestanding emergency medical care facilities to engage in out-of-network claim dispute resolution in certain circumstances.
 
The Texas Department of Insurance and Health and Human Services Commission indicate that rulemaking activities necessary to implement the bill could be accomplished using existing resources. The Department of State Health Services anticipates that additional work relating to receiving and maintaining information related to billing complaints and dispute resolution as well as rulemaking activities could be reasonably absorbed within current resources.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

323 Teacher Retirement System, 327 Employees Retirement System, 454 Department of Insurance, 503 Texas Medical Board, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 537 State Health Services, Department of

LBB Staff:

UP, CL, WP, ADe, VJC, ER, EMo