H.B. No. 1314 amends the Health and Safety Code to establish new requirements for price estimates and billing practices in certain health care facilities. The bill introduces a definition for "Estimate," which refers to a written statement detailing a consumer's total expected billed charges for nonemergency elective medical services or procedures. It mandates that facilities provide consumers with an estimate of billed charges for elective inpatient admissions or nonemergency outpatient surgical procedures upon request, and within five business days of the request. The bill also requires that the estimate includes information on how consumers can dispute final billed charges that exceed the estimate by $400 or more.

Additionally, the bill outlines penalties for facilities that fail to comply with these requirements, including prohibiting them from taking third-party collection actions against consumers, reporting them to credit bureaus, or pursuing legal action. The enforcement of these provisions will be overseen by the appropriate licensing agency. The changes will only apply to requests for estimates made on or after the effective date of the Act, which is set for September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 324.001, Health and Safety Code 324.101 (Health and Safety Code 324)
House Committee Report: Health and Safety Code 324.001, Health and Safety Code 324.101 (Health and Safety Code 324)
Engrossed: Health and Safety Code 324.001, Health and Safety Code 324.101 (Health and Safety Code 324)
Senate Committee Report: Health and Safety Code 324.001, Health and Safety Code 324.101 (Health and Safety Code 324)
Enrolled: Health and Safety Code 324.001, Health and Safety Code 324.101 (Health and Safety Code 324)