Relating to telephone access for certain health benefit plan verifications and preauthorization requests and for utilization review requests.

SB 177 requires health insurance companies and health maintenance organizations in Texas to maintain toll-free phone access for two key services: (1) verifying health benefit plans and (2) processing preauthorization and utilization review requests. The bill mandates that staff must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with specific hours (6 a.m.-6 p.m. Central Time Monday-Friday, excluding holidays; 9 a.m.-noon on weekends/holidays), and requires a phone system to record calls during unavailable times. Organizations must respond to calls within two hours for verifications and within 24 hours for preauthorizations. This directly affects insurers and health plans that handle patient care coordination, aiming to reduce delays in healthcare access.