In March, two bills on TNP’s legislative agenda, HB 861/SB 268 (Howard/Perry) and HB 1942/SB 1487 (Smithee/Perry) were scheduled for public hearings in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the House Insurance Committee. Both bills were met with wide support from legislators and stakeholders. Given the early date of the public hearings, they have a strong chance of successfully advancing in the legislative process.
HB 1942, Insurance Bill
On March 26, TNP testified in support of HB 1942, one of the priority bills on TNP’s legislative agenda that would allow commercial health plans to contract directly with Nurse Practitioners (NPs), regardless of whether their delegating physician is enrolled in those plans. HB 1942 is a clean-up of prior TNP legislation—SB 654 from 2017—that allowed health plans to contract directly with NPs for Medicaid/CHIP, even if the NP’s delegating physician didn’t accept Medicaid plans. HB 1942 would extend the same flexibilities to the commercial insurance market.
HB 1942 is pro-business, pro-patient legislation that will expand access and choice for Texans. TNP is grateful to Rep. Smithee and Sen. Perry for carrying this important legislation, and we look forward to getting this bill across the finish line.
SB 268, Board Complaints Bill
On March 18, TNP registered in support of SB 268, another one of the priority bills on TNP’s legislative agenda that would require regulatory agencies to refer any complaints for a licensed individual to the appropriate board of jurisdiction. For example, if a complaint against an NP were submitted to the Texas Medical Board (TMB), the TMB would be required to refer this complaint to the Texas Board of Nursing, the board of jurisdiction for NPs. This bill would protect against regulatory overreach and ensure NP cases are appropriately dealt with by the Board of Nursing.
TNP is grateful to our bill authors, Sen. Perry and Rep. Howard, for leading the charge on this important issue.
Stay tuned for email updates as these and other TNP bills move through the process!
