BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3064

By: Johnson, Julie

Insurance

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that individuals involved in car accidents should not have to worry about the denial or delay of payment of a health insurance claim. There are concerns that many doctors refuse to see patients who have been involved in a car accident because of prior poor experiences with insurance companies who refuse to reimburse doctors for services rendered based on secondary coverage to third-party liability. H.B. 3064 seeks to address this issue by prohibiting certain health benefit plan issuers from delaying or denying payment of a claim based on secondary coverage to third-party liability.

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

H.B. 3064 amends the Insurance Code to prohibit a health benefit plan issuer from delaying payment of a claim or provision of coverage for a benefit under the issuer's health benefit plan on the basis that the enrollee may be eligible to recover under a third party's liability insurance policy. The bill provides for the applicability of its provisions. The bill's provisions apply only to a health benefit plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.