By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 790
 
  (Howard)
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to county authority to balance bill for county air
  ambulance services.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 113.902(a), Local Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Except as provided by Section 113.9025, the [The] county
  treasurer shall direct prosecution for the recovery of any debt
  owed to the county, as provided by law, and shall supervise the
  collection of the debt.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 113, Local Government
  Code, is amended by adding Section 113.9025 to read as follows:
         Sec. 113.9025.  BALANCE BILLING FOR COUNTY AIR AMBULANCE
  SERVICES. (a)  "Balance billing" means the practice of charging an
  enrollee in a health benefit plan to recover from the enrollee the
  balance of a health care provider's fee for a service received by
  the enrollee from the health care provider that is not fully
  reimbursed by the enrollee's health benefit plan.
         (b)  A county may elect to consider a health benefit plan
  payment towards a claim for air ambulance services provided by the
  county as payment in full for those services regardless of the
  amount the county charged for those services.
         (c)  A county may not practice balance billing for a claim
  for which the county makes an election under Subsection (b).
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.