Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas’ System for Mediation, Arbitration of Medical Billing Disputes Now Available
Jan 6 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance says its Independent Dispute Resolution portal for medical billing disputes went live on January 1. Employees and authorized representatives for health care providers and health plans can...
Texas Workers’ Comp Division Releases Health Care Provider Oversight Results for 2019
Jan 3 2020 // In late December, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) released the 2019 Health Care Provider Performance Based Oversight (PBO) assessment. For 2019, health care providers were...
Number of Retail Worker Injuries in Texas Higher Than Those in Other Industries
Jan 3 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance reported that federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows there are more workers in shopping malls and retail outlets that get sick and injured than in any other private industry...
America Is Still Waiting for Trump’s ‘Much Better’ Replacement for Obamacare
Jan 3 2020 // As a candidate for the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly promised that he would “immediately” replace President Barack Obama’s health care law with a plan of his own that would provide “insurance...
Refusing to Dismiss Lawsuit, Texas Judge Orders Alex Jones to Pay $100K in Sandy Hook Case
Jan 2 2020 // A Texas judge ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $100,000 in legal fees and refused to dismiss a lawsuit that targets the Infowars host for using his show to promote falsehoods that the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre...
Insurance Journal’s Top 10 South Central Region Stories of 2019
Jan 2 2020 // It almost seemed like there was a major fire or explosion per month at one petrochemical facility or another in the South Central region last year. That’s not really the case, but there were a number of high-profile...
Operational Changes Coming for 2020 for Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
Dec 31 2019 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has posted on its website a summary of operational and policy changes that go into effect in 2020 as a result of new laws passed in 2019 by the state’s Legislature. Following...
Texas Surplus Lines Association Warns of Fake Email
Dec 31 2019 // The Texas Surplus Lines Association is warning its members of a fake email that has been sent out under the name of TSLA President Jennifer Mier. TSLA is urging members not to respond to the email. In an emailed message,...
Texas Insurance Regulators: New Year’s Day Is No. 1 Holiday for Vehicle Thefts
Dec 30 2019 // The Texas Department of Insurance is urging vehicle owners to lock their car doors and turn on alarms while they ring in the new year in order to prevent auto thefts. TDI said in a media release that a report issued in...
Texas’ New Surprise Medical Bill Law Goes into Effect on Jan. 1
Dec 27 2019 // Some Texans will have new consumer protections against surprise medical bills when a new law becomes effective on Jan. 1, the Texas Department of Insurance reported. Patients get surprise medical bills when they get care...
Texas House Committee Hearing on Windstorm Insurance Legislation Set for Jan. 15
Dec 27 2019 // The insurance committee in the Texas House of Representatives will hold a hearing on Jan. 15 to consider the state of rulemaking and other governmental actions with regard to legislation passed in 2019 affecting...
United Airlines Settles Sexual Harassment Suit Filed in Texas for $321K
Dec 23 2019 // United Airlines Inc., a Chicago-headquartered international airline operating in over 300 airports across five continents, has agreed to pay $321,000, plus attorney’s fees, to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed...
Convicted of Workers’ Comp Fraud, Houston Medical Facility Must Repay $30K
Dec 23 2019 // A Houston medical facility was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud in a Travis County District Court. The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of...
U.S. Law Firms ‘Hounded’ Relatives of Ethiopian Airlines’ Crash Victims
Dec 23 2019 // Days after the March 10 crash of a Kenya-bound Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing jet that killed all 157 people on board, strangers began calling or visiting bereaved families, saying they represented U.S. law firms. They...
Texas Regulators Want Stiffer Penalty for Owner of Port Neches Plant That Exploded
Dec 20 2019 // Environmental and watchdog groups have long criticized the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for taking it too easy on polluters — and the TCEQ has often countered that its job is to coax industrial facilities...
Texas Insurance Department Adopts Rule on Surprise Medical Billing Waiver
Dec 19 2019 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has adopted a rule outlining the narrow exception to the state’s new surprise billing protections, which apply to health care services provided on or after Jan. 1, 2020. Senate...
West Texas Insurance Exchange Acquired by Alera Group
Dec 19 2019 // Alera Group, an independent national insurance brokerage and wealth management firm, has acquired West Texas Insurance Exchange Inc., located in Odessa, Texas. West Texas Insurance Exchange serves the insurance needs of...
Texas Business Owner Must Pay $50K in Restitution in Work Comp Fraud Case
Dec 19 2019 // The owner of a South Texas truck stop has been ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud. James Russell Williams owns George West Truck Stop pleaded guilty in a Travis...
Alliant Insurance Services Acquires TCOR Management in Texas
Dec 17 2019 // Alliant Insurance Services has acquired TCOR Management, a Texas-based risk management firm. The acquisition will expand the Alliant Energy & Marine talent base by 50 specialists and broaden the surety footprint across...
Special Report: The Charity Issue – Photos of Giving
Dec 16 2019 // Frank Winston Crum Insurance FWCI has an enterprise philosophy of philanthropy with a primary focus on helping people who cannot help themselves. FWCI has supported the Tampa Bay community for more than a decade with a...
