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Bill

S 1140

TRANSPORTATION – Amends existing law to define a term and to revise provisions regarding violations and enforcement.

68th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025)

Expedites self-scheduling to speed consumer access to health care, aiming to cut appointment wait times for patients via digital scheduling tools.

Signed by Governor on 03/31/25 Session Law Chapter 242 Effective: 07/01/2025
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Bill Summary · S 1140

Summary of S. 1140 – Health ACCESS Act (Health Accelerating Consumer’s Care by Expediting Self-Scheduling Act)

Overview

  • Name: Health ACCESS Act
  • Official short title: Health Accelerating Consumer’s Care by Expediting Self-Scheduling Act
  • Status: Introduced in the Senate
  • Introduced: March 26, 2025
  • Objective (as stated): To accelerate consumer access to health care by expediting self-scheduling

Legislative History and Status

  • Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance on March 26, 2025.
  • Sponsorship:
    • Primary sponsor: Senator Bill Cassidy
    • Cosponsor: Senator Alex Padilla
  • No further floor action or amendments are listed in the provided material.

Key Provisions (as currently stated)

  • The version content provided only establishes the act’s title and its intended purpose. No substantive provisions, definitions, or programmatic details are included in the introduced text available here.

Potential Impacts and Implications (interpretive, based on the title)

  • Access to Care: The bill’s stated aim suggests a focus on reducing barriers to scheduling, potentially shortening wait times for appointments through self-scheduling mechanisms.
  • Self-Scheduling Focus: Emphasizes consumer-directed scheduling, which could involve online platforms, patient portals, or other digital tools used to book care.
  • Sector Reach: Depending on the final text, could affect providers, health systems, insurers, and digital health platforms that implement scheduling capabilities.
  • Fiscal Considerations: The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance, indicating potential fiscal or budgetary implications or requirements that could accompany scheduling enhancements (e.g., subsidies, incentives, or compliance costs). The exact financial impact would depend on the bill’s eventual language.

Implementation Timeline and Process

  • At this stage, there is no enacted timeline beyond the introduction date and referral to Finance.
  • Typical next steps (not specified in the current text) would include committee hearings, potential amendments, and a floor vote, followed by reconciliation with any House counterpart (if applicable) and final passage.

What to Watch

  • Text of the bill: Look for the full provision set, including definitions, required actions for providers or payers, standards for scheduling systems, privacy and security considerations, and any funding or incentive mechanisms.
  • Committee actions: Any hearings, amendments, or fiscal notes from the Finance Committee will shape how the bill would operate in practice.
  • Additional sponsors or bipartisan support: May signal broader legislative interest and potential path to passage.

Sponsors: Cassidy (primary) and Padilla (cosponsor) indicate cross-party involvement, but the current content provides only introductory details.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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