Relating to price estimates and billing requirements for certain health care facilities, the official text

H.B. No. 1314

AN ACT

relating to price estimates and billing requirements for certain

health care facilities.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 324.001, Health and Safety Code, is

amended by adding Subdivision (5-a) to read as follows:

(5-a) "Estimate" means a written statement outlining a

consumer's total expected billed charges for a nonemergency

elective medical service or procedure.

SECTION 2. Section 324.101, Health and Safety Code, is

amended by amending Subsections (d) and (g) and adding Subsection

(d-1) to read as follows:

(d) A consumer is entitled to receive and a [The] facility

shall provide to a consumer an estimate of the facility's billed

charges for any elective inpatient admission or nonemergency

outpatient surgical procedure or other service on the consumer's

request and before the scheduling of the admission, [or] procedure,

or service. Not later than five business days after receiving a

request for an estimate under this subsection, the facility shall

provide the [The] estimate to the requesting consumer by e-mail

[must be provided not later than the 10th business day after the

date on which the estimate is requested]. The facility must advise

the consumer that:

(1) the request for an estimate of billed charges may

result in a delay in the scheduling and provision of the inpatient

admission, outpatient surgical procedure, or other service;

(2) the actual charges for an inpatient admission,

outpatient surgical procedure, or other service will vary based on

the person's medical condition and other factors associated with

performance of the procedure or service;

(3) the actual charges for an inpatient admission,

outpatient surgical procedure, or other service may differ from the

amount to be paid by the consumer or the consumer's third-party

payor;

(4) the consumer may be personally liable for payment

for the inpatient admission, outpatient surgical procedure, or

other service depending on the consumer's health benefit plan

coverage; and

(5) the consumer should contact the consumer's health

benefit plan for accurate information regarding the plan structure,

benefit coverage, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and other

plan provisions that may impact the consumer's liability for

payment for the inpatient admission, outpatient surgical

procedure, or other service.

(d-1) A facility shall include in the estimate provided

under Subsection (d) information regarding the manner in which an

eligible consumer may dispute final billed charges that exceed the

amount specified in the estimate by $400 or more, as provided by 45

C.F.R. Section 149.620.

(g) A facility that violates [in violation of] this section:

(1) may not:

(A) take or facilitate the taking of any

third-party collection action against a consumer;

(B) report the consumer to a credit bureau; or

(C) pursue an action against the consumer; and

(2) is subject to an enforcement action by the

appropriate licensing agency.

SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 324, Health and Safety

Code, is repealed.

SECTION 4. The changes in law made to Chapter 324, Health

and Safety Code, apply only to a request for an estimate made on or

after the effective date of this Act. A request for an estimate

made before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in

effect at the time the request was made, and the former law is

continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 1314 was passed by the House on May 2,

2025, by the following vote: Yeas 133, Nays 0, 1 present, not

voting, and that the House adopted H.C.R. No. 167 authorizing

certain corrections in H.B. No. 1314 on May 28, 2025, by the

following vote: Yeas 119, Nays 0, 1 present, not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 1314 was passed by the Senate on May

25, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0, and that the

Senate adopted H.C.R. No. 167 authorizing certain corrections in

H.B. No. 1314 on May 29, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays

0.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

APPROVED: _____________________

Date

_____________________

Governor