Texans are getting more information about health care prices thanks to efforts like Senate Bill 1137 and House Bill 2090, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2021. But because anticompetitive, outdated laws and regulations prevent health plans from providing customers with information about quality, it’s still nearly impossible for people to shop for lower cost, higher quality health care services and providers. Texans deserve better.
“Texans are a thrifty bunch,” said Chris Skisak, executive director of Texas Employers for Affordable Health Care. “And price transparency was a good first step towards giving Texans the tools we need to make smart decisions about our care. What we need now is quality transparency, so we can find the best value for our health care dollars.”
Thanks to State Senator Kelly Hancock and State Representative James Frank, Texans may get more of the information they need to be smart health care shoppers.
Earlier this week, Rep. Frank introduced House Bill 1959, and Sen. Hancock introduced Senate Bill 926, which remove barriers to information about health care quality and allows insurers and health plans to reward smart shoppers through modified deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing provisions.
Texans are shrewd customers, but to make informed choices about our health care, we need basic information about not just prices but also whether providers meet nationally recognized quality of care standards. By allowing insurers and health plan providers to reward smart shoppers, Texas has an opportunity to rein in out-of-control health care prices.