AUSTIN – Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s (TPPF) Center for Health Care Policy John Davidson will testify before the Texas House Pensions Committee TODAY, Monday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. CDT or upon adjournment in room E2.028 in the Texas State Capitol. Davidson will testify on HB 966, which relates to the creation of an optional consumer-directed health plan for certain individuals eligible to participate in the group benefits program provided under the Texas Employees Group Benefits Act and their qualified dependents.
“HB 966 would give Texas state employees the same options that an increasing number of private-sector employees have when choosing health coverage: the freedom to choose a high-deductible plan with a health savings account,” said Davidson. “These are known as ‘consumer-directed’ plans because they empower employees to make their own decisions about how to spend their health care dollars.
“Over the past decade, both small and larger employers have found that such plans are increasingly popular with employees, and that they help to control health care spending by incentivizing preventative care. Studies have shown that employees with consumer-directed plans utilize preventative services and generic drugs for chronic conditions at a higher rate than employees in traditional plans, and have a lower rate of utilization for inpatient services, emergency room and acute care spending.
“This is a common-sense bill that would give state employees greater choice and help control state health care spending—not by cutting benefits but by empowering consumers and thus bringing market forces to bear on our health care system. HB 966 won’t solve all our health care problems, but it’s a big step in the right direction.”
| WHO:
|
John Davidson, Director of the Center for Health Care Policy, Texas Public Policy Foundation |
| WHAT: |
Testimony before the Texas House Pensions Committee |
| WHEN:
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TODAY, Monday, March 16, 2015 2:00 p.m. CDT or upon adjournment |
| WHERE: |
Texas State Capitol Room E2.028 |
More information about the hearing can be found at: http://txpo.li/1AxdLoy
To schedule an interview with Mr. Davidson please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700.
John Davidson is the Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.