Texas House Rep. Harris Davila authors bill mandating electronic itemized health care billing

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Caroline Harris Davila seeks to improve transparency in health care billing by mandating electronic delivery of itemized bills and ensuring physical copies are provided when necessary, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 54 Democrats and 76 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while six Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, with no opposing votes.

Caroline Harris Davila introduced the bill in the Texas House on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Davilla graduated from Thomas Edison State College with a BA.

Davilla, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 52nd House district, replacing previous state representative James Talarico.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to itemized billing for health care services and supplies provided by health care providers’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Health and Safety Code to mandate that health care providers issue itemized bills electronically, where feasible, including through a patient portal on their website. It requires providers to verify if a patient has created a profile on the portal and, if not, to mail a physical copy of the bill to the patient. Additionally, the appropriate licensing authority is directed to take disciplinary action against any provider that fails to comply with this billing requirement, treating it as a violation of licensing law. The provisions apply only to itemized bills issued on or after the bill’s effective date, which is Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. James Frank (Republican – District 69).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 28, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.