Bills give doctors flexibility to focus more on patients

GUEST COMMENTARY

AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers are taking action to support primary care doctors and improve patient access with new legislation filed by state Sen. Kevin Sparks (SB 1014) and state Rep. Lacey Hull (HB 2254).

These bills modernize outdated insurance laws to give primary care doctors more flexibility in how they get paid, reducing red tape and allowing them to spend more time with patients.

“Texas law is standing in the way of a proven, more innovative way to deliver high-quality primary care,” said Jamie Dudensing, CEO of the Texas Association of Health Plans.

“ This legislation removes outdated barriers, allowing health plans and doctors to work together in a way that prioritizes better patient outcomes, lower costs and a stronger primary care system,” Dudensing said.

Family doctors, employers and health plans back SB 1014 and HB 2254 because they expand patient access to high-quality, lower-cost primary care.

The legislation gives primary care doctors more financial stability by allowing them to receive predictable monthly payments, such as direct primary care or advanced primary care payment models, instead of relying solely on pervisit fees, often called fee-for-service.

It removes outdated restrictions that prevent employer health plans from partnering with doctors on patient-focused care models used in Medicare, Medicaid, and self-funded employer plans.

The legislation strengthens access to primary care by reducing administrative burdens and allowing doctors to focus more on treating patients, not paperwork.

The measures improve affordability by shifting to quality-based payment models, which have been shown to lower costs by reducing unnecessary hospital visits and improving chronic disease management.

Texas has a primary care crisis, with shortages of family doctors and increasing burnout due to outdated, inefficient payment models.

While 44% of employers are moving toward high-quality primary care models, Texas law blocks most health plans from working with primary care doctors on innovative solutions.

By the numbers: — 80% of employees say they would sign up for an all-inclusive direct primary care plan.

— 20-30% reduction in hospital admissions, achieved through better- coordinated primary care.

— 44% of employers have already shifted or are considering high-quality primary care models like direct and advanced primary care.

Texas needs modern, patient-focused health care solutions that give primary care doctors more flexibility to deliver efficient, high-quality care. SB 1014 and HB 2254 cut through outdated red tape, empowering Texas physicians to focus on patients, not paperwork.