Senate Bill 1264 protects patients from being collateral damage in billing disputes. It prohibits surprise medical bills from being sent to patients who have been treated by out-of-network providers if the treatment is an emergency or out of their control. It also clamps down on hefty charges for medical out-of-network care at in-network hospitals and out-of-network lab and imaging work.
In these instances, patients will be billed for only their in-network copay or deductible.
Providers and insurers can then battle over a fair payment with one another in an arbitration process that will have state regulatory oversight.
Patients are often on the hook for large, unexpected medical bills. Senate Bill 1264 will take the patient out of disputes over their medical bill altogether. This is an incredibly supportive step in lowering skyrocketing out-of-pocket healthcare costs in Texas!
Read the bill in full here.
