Bill > HB1045

This bill modifies Texas insurance law to expand and clarify health benefit plan coverage for chemical dependency treatment. The bill broadens the definition of a "chemical dependency treatment center" by updating the licensing authority from the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse to the Health and Human Services Commission. It removes previous restrictions that limited coverage to only group health plans and now applies to individual and group insurance policies, including state-sponsored plans like basic coverage and primary care coverage plans. The bill eliminates previous lifetime treatment limitations, ensuring that health benefit plans cannot impose a maximum number of treatment series for individuals with chemical dependency. Additionally, the bill requires that chemical dependency treatment be covered at an appropriate level of care, removes specific restrictions on coverage comparability with physical illness treatments, and updates regulatory standards for insurers and treatment centers. These changes will apply to health benefit plans delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, with the act taking effect on September 1, 2025, thereby providing more comprehensive and flexible health insurance coverage for chemical dependency treatment.

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https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB1045