Lt. Gov. Patrick threatens medical board over surprise billing rule
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is threatening to wage war against the Texas Medical Board over a rule the board has proposed that he says would undermine a new law that cracks down on surprise medical bills.
But officials with the Texas Medical Board told the American-Statesman on Wednesday that it is not their intention to weaken the law.
The Texas Senate, led by Patrick, approved legislation earlier this year — signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott — that prevents patients with state-regulated health insurance and who have no choice in selecting medical providers from paying exorbitant medical bills for out-of-network services. Instead, insurers and doctors will negotiate how to pay the non-patient share of the costs. The law takes effect Jan. 1.
Earlier this month, however, the Texas Medical Board, which regulates medical practices in the state, publicly proposed a rule that patient advocates have said would create a loophole in the law. The rule, which is set to be adopted Dec. 8, would require physicians to provide patients who are set to undergo a non-emergency medical procedure with a waiver outlining out-of-network charges and agreeing to pay those charges. Patient advocates fear the rule as written would allow surprise billing to occur in all non-emergency health services.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20191127/lt-gov-patrick-threatens-medical-board-over-surprise-billing-rule
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