Bill Text: TX HB3942 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to health benefit plan coverage of telemedicine, teledentistry, and telehealth appointments with an originating site or distant site located outside this state.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2023-05-24 - Removed from local & uncontested calendar [HB3942 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB3942-Comm_Sub.html
By: Bhojani, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Blanco) | H.B. No. 3942 | |
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 3, 2023; | ||
May 5, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on Health & | ||
Human Services; May 21, 2023, reported favorably by the following | ||
vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 21, 2023, sent to printer.) | ||
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relating to health benefit plan coverage of telemedicine, | ||
teledentistry, and telehealth appointments with an originating | ||
site or distant site located outside this state. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 1455.001, Insurance Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subdivision (1-a) and adding Subdivisions (1-b) and (1-c) | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(1-a) "Distant site" means the location where a health | ||
professional provides a telemedicine medical service, | ||
teledentistry dental service, or telehealth service. | ||
(1-b) "Health professional" means: | ||
(A) a physician; | ||
(B) an individual who is: | ||
(i) licensed or certified in this state to | ||
perform health care services; and | ||
(ii) authorized to assist: | ||
(a) a physician in providing | ||
telemedicine medical services that are delegated and supervised by | ||
the physician; or | ||
(b) a dentist in providing | ||
teledentistry dental services that are delegated and supervised by | ||
the dentist; | ||
(C) a licensed or certified health professional | ||
acting within the scope of the license or certification who does not | ||
perform a telemedicine medical service or a teledentistry dental | ||
service; or | ||
(D) a dentist. | ||
(1-c) "Originating site" means the location where an | ||
individual receives a telemedicine medical service, teledentistry | ||
dental service, or telehealth service. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 1455.004, Insurance Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: | ||
(e) A health benefit plan must 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. Section 1455.004, Insurance Code, as amended by | ||
this Act, applies only to a health benefit plan delivered, issued | ||
for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024. A health | ||
benefit plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed before | ||
January 1, 2024, is governed by the law as it existed immediately | ||
before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in | ||
effect for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
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