Issue Position: Health Care--Caring for Our Families, Protecting Local Taxpayers

Issue Position

As a member of the House Committee on Public Health and a member of the House Select Committee on Health Care Education and Training, Bobby is in a position to address the many health care challenges plaguing the lower Rio Grande Valley. Representative Guerra understands firsthand the importance of affordable, quality health care that is accessible to all Texans, which is why he co-authored SB 24, creating South Texas' first medical school.

During his tenure in the Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Guerra has passed landmark legislation to improve and protect the public health of all Texans by strengthening the state's childhood immunization program. He has championed sweeping patients' rights reforms, including protecting patients and health care professionals from abusive managed care tactics.

Bobby also passed Senate bill 1150, the companion to HB 3712, Provider Protection Plan which offers protections to reduce administrative burdens on managed care providers. These protections include the prompt and accurate payment of claims; ability to electronically submit claims, corrected claims, prior authorizations, appeals and supporting documentations; and prompt credentialing and contracting of policies. These protections will be added to contracts with health plans by September 1, 2014, and a workgroup will be created to address those protections. 350,000 Medicaid recipients throughout Texas, and especially in the Rio Grande Valley, are enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care programs. This bill addresses this shift, which affects the operations of hundreds of physicians, numerous hospitals and other healthcare providers responsible for providing care to Medicaid recipients.

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