Fox 7: Texas lawmakers take on rising health care costs with HB 711

Rudy Koski for Fox 7 – March 23, 2023 – New legislation could help lower health care costs by giving consumers more control.

The Texas House Select-Health Care Reform committee had HB 711 on its agenda, which was filed by state Rep. James Frank (R-Wichita Falls). 

Frank drafted the bill in an effort to open up the health care marketplace by eliminating anti-competitive clauses in health insurance contracts.

“You know, one of the things I say, we are in our country. We are paying twice as much for health care, for the same results as the rest of the first world. And it is because of a lack of transparency, lack of competition and lack of patient involvement. We’ve got to have all three,” said Frank.

HB 711 targets things like the “all or nothing rule” and a process called “steering” which can send a patient to a higher cost hospital and not to the one they want, which may be a better deal. 

The legislation would also eliminate “anti-tiering” clauses that prevent insurance carriers from putting providers into categories, for consumers to see, based on outcomes and pricing.

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