The Texas House of Representatives voted 138-0 to pass Senate Bill 926, Senator Kelly Hancock’s legislation that will help employers make sure they’re getting more value from their health plans. The legislation will now go to Governor Abbott for his signature.
Reining in the price of health care is important, but price is only one part of the equation when it comes to evaluating health plans. After all, poor quality health care may not be worth the savings. That’s why we’ve been working with state leaders to no only improve prices, but value in health care.
Here’s a look at our approach and how it’s resulting in reforms that can help you get more value from your health plan.
Banning anti-competitive contracting practices
During the 2023 legislative session, we worked closely with lawmakers at the state Capitol to craft legislation banning anti-competitive practices in health care contracts, including clauses that restrict employers and health plans from encouraging enrollees to obtain services at a competitor, or from offering incentives to utilize specific providers.
Empowering employees to be smart health care shoppers
This year, we built on our previous success at the Texas Legislature by working with lawmakers to remove barriers to information about health care quality and allow insurers and health plans to reward smart shoppers through modified deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing provisions.