TAHP Unveils Legislative Agenda to Improve Affordable Access to Care
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By: TAHP | Thursday, January 30, 2025
What’s New: TAHP released our Legislative Priorities and Session Guide for the 89th Texas Legislative Session! We’re urging lawmakers to help make health care affordable by avoiding adding more mandates to health coverage, promoting transparency, and enabling market-based flexibility.
Why It Matters: Health insurance provides access to the preventive services that keep Texans healthy and help families avoid higher cost care. When unexpected accidents or illnesses strike, health also insurance protect patients from the financial strain of an increasingly expensive health care system.
Our top concern: TAHP’s agenda covers our positions on the impact policy proposals have on access to affordable coverage. Our top concern in this session is addressing the rising cost of state-imposed mandates that make coverage less affordable, less flexible, and less innovative in Texas.
The Numbers Don’t Lie:
- 82% of Texans have health insurance, with 14 million covered by employer-sponsored plans. We break down steps to address the uninsured.
- Insurers contribute $2.5 billion annually in state premium taxes, supporting Texas’ economy. Learn how market based competition increases access.
- Medicaid managed care has saved taxpayers more than $13 billion while improving access and outcomes for over 4 million Texans. Our guide explains how to build on the success of Medicaid managed care.
The Big Picture: Health insurance is a cornerstone of Texas’ economy and well-being, ensuring families, businesses, and taxpayers are protected. TAHP’s agenda emphasizes:
- Employer Stability: Employers cover nearly 80% of employee premiums, making comprehensive care affordable for families.
- Innovative Solutions: Value-based care models and transparency tools are critical to addressing rising costs and empowering consumers.
- Better Access: Texans with insurance are more likely to receive preventive care, improving health outcomes and reducing long-term costs.
Our 89th session priorities include:
- Stop costly mandates: Prevent overregulation and excessive mandates that drive up health care costs and limit affordable coverage options.
- Modernize insurance regulations: Remove barriers that stand in the way of flexible, innovative benefit options that fit the unique needs of employers and families.
- Protect patients from high prices: Combat price gouging and anti-competitive practices while building on Texas’ success in transparency and surprise billing protections.
- Support Medicaid managed care: Preserve Texas’ market-based Medicaid model, which has saved taxpayers over $13 billion, while exploring new opportunities to meet family needs.
Go Deeper:
- Dive into TAHP’s full 2025 Session Guide and Legislative Priorities.
- Learn more about the role of health plans in supporting Texans in our Who We Are guide.
- Learn more about how health coverage works and our priorities with our Session Food for Thought presentation
- Follow all of TAHP’s legislative advocacy on 89th Session page
The Bottom Line: TAHP’s 2025 Legislative Agenda offers solutions to Texas’ most pressing health care challenges. By addressing affordability, transparency, and access, lawmakers can ensure better health outcomes, empower employers, and create a stronger, healthier future for all Texans.
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