Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas House OKs Bill Ensuring Equal Coverage For Mental And Physical Health Care
The Texas Tribune: House Approves Bill Focused On Mental Health Insurance Benefits
Texas House members endorsed a bill Tuesday that would prevent health insurance companies from offering mental health benefits differently from medical benefits and offer more help for consumers who believe their insurance is wrongly denying them coverage. (Evans, 4/4)
Houston Chronicle: House OKs Bill On Mental Health Insurance Benefits
The House tentatively approved legislation Tuesday that would ensure Texans have equal insurance coverage for mental and physical health care. The legislation, authored by Rep. Four Price, is the first of several that he has filed on mental health care following a series of interim committee hearings on the issue. Price, R-Amarillo, told colleagues Tuesday that insurance companies are not adequately covering mental health services despite parity laws. (Cobler, 4/4)
The Texas Tribune: Postpartum Depression Bills Get Hearing Before House Lawmakers
House Public Health Committee members heard testimony on three measures — House Bill 2466, House Bill 2604 and House Bill 2135 — that would aim to increase access to postpartum depression screenings and treatment for mothers. (Evans, 4/4)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Senators To Debate Bill That Would Narrow Definition Of "Psychology"
A yoga instructor. A fortune teller. A political consultant. Under current Texas law, all three could call themselves “psychologists” because of some of the services they each provide and because doing so is protected speech. (Rocha, 4/5)
The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Firm Buys Assets Of Troubled Mental-Health Services Provider
The assets of a financially troubled provider of mental-health services for people in Delaware and Morrow counties have been sold to a Columbus agency that does similar work, leaving some patients uncertain about who will treat them. (Narciso, 4/4)
