May 31, 2016 4:40 PM

Senators skeptical as health plans push for changes to Texas prompt pay law

Bipartisan pushback to the Texas Association of Health Plans: Sen. Watson says “Weren’t we supposed to say we don’t care about anybody else if it’s working for us.”

The argument of some health care plans and hospital providers that Texas has an unfair prompt pay law and it needs to be changed did not appear to meet a receptive audience at Senate Business & Commerce this month.

From the perspective of fixing what’s broken, some would argue that Texas is doing just fine.

Prompt pay legislation, passed in 2003, has resulted in a growing number of clean claim submissions and timeliness on 99.5 percent of all claims. Most insurance carriers can hit a goal of 98 percent on accuracy and timeliness.

But it’s that fraction of a single percentage point – out of 90 million claims a year – that has health care plans and even some providers frustrated with the system.

By Kimberly Reeves