The bill, H.B. No. 251, amends the Health and Safety Code to establish new requirements for price estimates and billing practices in certain health care facilities. It introduces a definition for "Estimate," which refers to a written statement detailing the total payment a facility will accept for nonemergency elective medical services, inclusive of all payment sources. The bill mandates that consumers requesting estimates for elective inpatient admissions or nonemergency outpatient surgical procedures must receive these estimates within 24 hours, delivered in a manner chosen by the consumer. Additionally, it stipulates that a facility's final billed charges cannot exceed the estimate by more than five percent unless the excess is due to unavoidable complications or a change in diagnosis.

Furthermore, if the final billed charges exceed the estimate by more than five percent, the facility is required to provide a written statement to the patient explaining the difference and the reasons for it. The bill also includes provisions that protect consumers from collection actions if a facility violates these requirements, prohibiting them from collecting payments, reporting to credit bureaus, or pursuing legal actions against consumers. The changes will take effect on September 1, 2025, and will apply only to requests for estimates made on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 324.001, Health and Safety Code 324.101 (Health and Safety Code 324)