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Texas HB 1445, which went into effect on January 1, 2022, exempts medical billing services performed before the submission of the relevant insurance claim from state sales tax. The new legislation legally exempts medical billing services from the statutory definition of taxable “insurance services.” Practically speaking, this relieves management services companies, and ultimately physicians and patients, from bearing the burden of tax payments of up to 8.25% for the provision of certain medical billing services. The legislation is hailed by many as a meaningful step in lowering needlessly high healthcare costs, which are felt by patients and providers alike.
Continue Reading Tax Break for Certain Medical Billing Services in Texas

On December 28, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“Appropriations Act”) was passed into law. The Appropriations Act included the No Surprises Act (“Act”), which seeks to protect patients from surprise medical bills in situations where patients have little or no control over who provides their care, including nonemergency services provided by out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, emergency services provided by out-of-network providers and facilities, and air ambulance services. The Act, a rare piece of bipartisan, bicameral legislation, has been a long time in the making, and has undergone multiple iterations. Particularly during the public health emergency, the issue of surprise medical bills is especially pertinent, as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the occurrence of surprise bills in a time where people are less likely to be able to shoulder the unexpected costs.
Continue Reading No Surprises Act Comes as a Surprise – Consolidated Appropriations Act Includes New Restrictions on Surprise Bills

On February 16, 2017, Representative Sam Johnson (R-Texas) introduced a bill to the House of Representatives that brings to the forefront an ongoing and contentious debate regarding the propriety of physician-owned hospitals.  If adopted as proposed, the Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2017 would repeal sections of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) that, since 2011, have effectively prevented new physician-owned hospitals from participating in the Medicare program.
Continue Reading Physician-Owned Hospitals: Back in the Legislative Saddle Again or “I’m just a bill, I am only a bill.”