Doctors and PPOs Agree to Back 'Silent PPO' Legislation

By Bill Kidd, Central Bureau ChiefAfter years of wrangling over the issue, Texas health care providers and preferred provider organizations have agreed to support legislation intended to stop insurers from taking discounts from health care providers without a contract or authorization from those providers.The House Insurance Committee held a hearing Tuesday night on House Bill 1534 by Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston.The language in the bill is based closely on model language adopted in 2008 by the National Conference of Insurance Legislators.Eiland carried legislation in the 2007 and 2009 sessi...