Today marks 100 days until the beginning of Texas’ 87th Legislative Session. Last year, we had great success advocating for and passing several pieces of legislation that protect Texans from the high costs of surprise billing, expensive drug prices, and price gouging at freestanding emergency rooms, but our fight for more affordable, comprehensive health care isn’t over.

The seasonal flu is a serious illness that results in half a million hospitalizations and 30,000-50,000 deaths every year. With the ongoing threat of COVID-19, this flu season is expected to be more severe than usual. Texas health insurance providers are covering the vaccine with no patient cost-sharing and encouraging everyone — particularly older Texans, communities of color, and others who are more vulnerable to the flu’s worst outcomes — to get their flu vaccine.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to Texas and our nation, touching every facet of American life. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas health insurance providers have been fully committed to helping solve this crisis, including waiving out-of-pocket costs for telehealth and expanding telehealth programs, so that Texans can access the care they need from the safety of their own homes.

On Saturday, the national investigative journalism organization ProPublica published its second article in the past month highlighting how freestanding emergency rooms are price gouging Texas patients for COVID-19 tests. This time, Physicians Premier ER in Austin charged one of its own doctors nearly $11,0000 for a test.

Last month Chron.com reporter Alison Medley wrote an article about Laurie Delgatto-Whitten, a woman who received a $3,000 medical bill after visiting a drive-thru COVID-19 test site in Spring operated by United Memorial Medical Center.

touching every facet of American life. During this crisis, Managed Care Plans are connecting Texans to the personalized care and support they need to stay safe and healthy and to live their lives to the fullest.