HB 2516 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the eligibility of certain individuals younger than 65 years of age to purchase Medicare supplement benefit plans.

HB 2516, the Chris Larkin ALS Act, requires Texas insurers to offer Medicare supplement plans (Medigap) to people under 65 who qualify for Medicare due to disability, end-stage renal disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It mandates that these individuals receive the same coverage and premium rates as those 65 and older for standard plans (A, B, D), with non-standard plans capped at 200% of the 65+ rate. The bill creates a six-month enrollment window starting when a qualifying individual first enrolls in Medicare Part B, during which insurers cannot deny coverage, charge more for health conditions, or impose waiting periods. This law directly affects Texans under 65 with qualifying medical conditions who rely on Medicare, ensuring equitable access to supplemental insurance without medical underwriting. The bill became effective immediately on June 20, 2025.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Jun 2025
House Passage
Jun 2025
Senate Passage
Jun 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 17, 2025 Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 4 edits · Jun 2, 2025
MODERATE
The bill text was converted from a draft format to an enrolled version, which is the final version signed into law. The substantive policy content regarding Medicare supplement coverage for individuals under 65 remains unchanged, though some dates in the enrollment periods were adjusted in the enrolled version.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain the same; it continues to require insurance companies to offer the same Medicare supplement coverage to individuals under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare due to disability, end-stage renal disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
TIMELINE

Enrollment period dates were adjusted in the enrolled version: the initial enrollment window changed from August 31, 2025 to March 2, 2026 to December 1, 2025 to June 1, 2026, and the effective date remains September 1, 2025.

ELIGIBILITY

The enrolled version removed 'disability' from the list of conditions in Section 4, now only listing end-stage renal disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for individuals under 65 who can apply for coverage.

TECHNICAL

Added standard enrolled bill formatting including certification signatures from the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Secretary of the Senate, along with voting records and Governor's approval.

Removed draft formatting elements such as sponsor names, bill number annotations, and placeholder text that were present in the earlier version.

Floor votes · House May 6, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
74
Key actions
23
Committee
16
Amendments
9
Jun 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
Jun 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
Jun 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate adopts conference committee report
upper
Jun 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
House adopts conference committee report
lower
May 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
House requests conference committee-reported
upper
May 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
House requests conference committee
lower
May 28, 2025
Introduced
House refuses to concur in Senate amendments
lower
May 27, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendments Analysis distributed
lower
May 27, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendments distributed
lower
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage as amended reported
lower
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to 3rd reading as amended
upper
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
May 26, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
May 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
May 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
May 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Health & Human Services
upper
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 6, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Insurance
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
5 primary · 12 co-sponsors

Sponsors