BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 3942
88R23740 KBB-D	By: Bhojani et al. (Blanco)
	Health & Human Services
	5/15/2023
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Telehealth is effective, efficient, and accessible for patients who need health care services, including rural communities, underserved and vulnerable patient populations, and individuals unable to secure in-person care. Current law does not explicitly state that health benefit plans must cover telehealth appointments regardless of the originating and distant site. "Originating site" refers to the location of a patient during their telehealth appointment, and "distant site" refers to the location of the physician during a telehealth appointment.

H.B. 3942 seeks to make telehealth services more accessible for Texans by requiring a health benefit plan to provide coverage for telemedicine medical services, teledentistry dental services, and telehealth services with an originating site or distant site located outside Texas on the same basis and to the same extent that coverage would be provided if such sites were located in Texas.

H.B. 3942 amends current law relating to health benefit plan coverage of telemedicine, teledentistry, and telehealth appointments with an originating site or distant site located outside this state.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 1455.001, Insurance Code, by amending Subdivision (1-a) and adding Subdivisions (1-b) and (1-c) to define "distant site" and "originating site" and make a nonsubstantive change.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 1455.004, Insurance Code, by adding Subsection (e), as follows:

(e)  Requires that a health benefit plan provide coverage for a covered health care service or procedure delivered as a telemedicine medical service, teledentistry dental service, or telehealth service with an originating site or distant site located outside this state on the same basis and to the same extent that the plan provides coverage for the service or procedure delivered as a telemedicine medical service, teledentistry dental service, or telehealth service with an originating site and distant site located in this state if:

(1)  the individual who receives the service resides primarily in this state; and

(2)  the health professional who provides the service:

(A)  is licensed or otherwise authorized to provide the service in this state; and

(B)  has a physical office in this state.

SECTION 3. Makes application of Section 1455.004, Insurance Code, as amended by this Act, prospective to January 1, 2024.

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2023.