HBA-NLM C.S.H.B. 1924 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1924
By: Averitt
Insurance
4/16/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool (pool) was created by the 71st
Legislature and made operational by the 75th Legislature to provide
uninsurable individuals access to health insurance for medical conditions
or diagnoses that result in ineligibility for private insurance coverage.
The pool is funded by assessing insurers providing health insurance
coverage in this state, including the assessment of insurers providing
long-term care coverage which is not offered under the pool. Federal High
Risk Pool regulations specifically exempt long-term care and disability
insurance from the list of coverage assessed.  C.S.H.B. 1924 exempts
long-term care and disability insurance income from the list of coverage
assessed in the pool. This bill also specifies that neither long-term care
insurance nor disability insurance is included in the term "health
insurance" under Article 3.77 (Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool), Insurance
Code. 
  
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 2(7), Article 3.77, Insurance Code, to specify
that neither long-term care insurance nor disability insurance income is
included in the term "health insurance." 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause. 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1924 modifies the original in SECTION 1 (Section 2(7), Article
3.77, Insurance Code), to specify that disability income insurance, rather
than disability insurance, is specifically excluded from the term "health
insurance."