Testimony Supporting HB 1581: HIMARC
TAHP supports SB 1581 which establishes a mandate review process at the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, to provide Texas lawmakers with an independent evaluation of proposed health insurance mandates and regulations and assess their impact on the health insurance market and affordability of coverage in the state.
While often well-intended, government mandates typically have adverse effects on health insurance costs that lead directly to higher premiums for consumers and reduce the number of employers that provide coverage, ultimately increasing the number of Texans without coverage. When the government mandates something in health care, a small population or specific provider type may benefit from the particular mandate, but premiums go up for everyone. A single mandate can increase premiums 1%, and every 1% increase in premiums costs consumers and employers an estimated $1 billion a year in the insurance market.
Unlike most other states, Texas lawmakers currently lack the information they need on the cost and impact of health insurance mandates and regulations when bills are being considered. At least 29 states already have some form of a mandate review process and on the federal level, the Congressional Budget Office offers similar analyses for Congress.
Read the full letter.
