BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1757

By: Lucio III

Insurance

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that pharmacists are recognized as licensed healthcare providers and should be included among the practitioners an insured may select to provide certain services. C.S.H.B. 1757 seeks to address this issue by authorizing an insured to select a pharmacist to provide the services scheduled in a health insurance policy that are within the scope of the pharmacist's license.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1757 amends the Insurance Code to authorize an individual who is issued, is a party to, or is a beneficiary under a health insurance policy to select a licensed pharmacist to provide the services scheduled in the health insurance policy that are within the scope of the pharmacist's license to practice pharmacy under the Texas Pharmacy Act. The bill applies only to a health insurance policy delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1757 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a specification that the license under which a pharmacist provides services is a license to practice pharmacy under the Texas Pharmacy Act.