Bipartisan Texas Bills Go After “Unconscionable” Freestanding ERs

Bipartisan Texas Bills Go After “Unconscionable” Freestanding ERs: A bipartisan group of State Senators and Representatives, including local Democratic State Senator Nathan Johnson, filed legislation to allow the Texas Attorney General to address the unreasonable prices charged by freestanding emergency rooms. Johnson joined author Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin and Representative Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont in filing legislation similar to an existing law that allows the AG to stop price-gouging for goods and services during natural emergencies and disasters. Freestanding ERs in the state represent 83 percent of all out-of-network emergency room services and end up costing Texans more than $3 billion a year in avoidable health care costs, which continues to drive up overall healthcare costs. Legislators take issue with the fact that these facilities look like urgent care centers but charge emergency care prices, and often attract patients with only minor issues. Freestanding ERs charge 20 times what urgent care centers and primary care doctors charge for