Houston Republic

Rep. Tom Oliverson introduced HB 3942, a bill on Health, Insurance, and Minors, to the Texas House on Thursday, March 27 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.

More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’Relating to health benefit coverage for general anesthesia in connection with certain pediatric dental services’’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

This bill amends the Insurance Code to require certain health benefit plans that provide coverage for general anesthesia to include medically necessary general anesthesia services in connection with pediatric dental procedures for children younger than 13, who cannot undergo the procedure without anesthesia due to a documented physical, mental, or medical reason. The anesthesia must be administered by a qualified provider. The bill's provisions apply to various health benefit plans, including those offered by insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, and nonprofit health corporations, but do not mandate coverage for dental care or procedures themselves. These changes apply to plans delivered, issued, or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2026, with the act taking effect Sept. 1, 2025.

Tom Oliverson, member of the House Committee on Redistricting, proposed another 24 bills during the 89(R) legislative session.

Tom Oliverson is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state's 130th House district. He replaced previous state representative Allen Fletcher in 2017.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB 4100	03/27/2025	Relating to prohibited retaliation against a physician or health care provider for reporting certain violations or taking certain actions with respect to the provision of health care services; providing a civil remedy
HB 3845	03/26/2025	Relating to the regulation of certain compensation, contracting, employment, and performance criteria in connection with utilization review of health benefits
HB 3818	03/26/2025	Relating to the extension of groundwater reduction target years established by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District
HB 3817	03/26/2025	Relating to creating the criminal offense of gender identity fraud
HB 3708	03/26/2025	Relating to charity care provided by certain health care facilities
HB 3496	03/24/2025	Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Insurance to publish and maintain a list of certain ready-to-swim programs
HB 3414	03/21/2025	Relating to preferred provider benefit plan out-of-pocket expense credits for payments made by an insured directly to a physician providing direct primary care
HB 3321	03/21/2025	Relating to certain health care entity or system transaction fees and payment claims; providing administrative and civil penalties
HB 3086	03/20/2025	Relating to requirements for pharmaceutical drug manufacturers to report prescription drug costs
HB 2946	03/19/2025	Relating to the provision of nutrition support services to Medicaid recipients in lieu of other state Medicaid plan services and a report on the health outcomes of providing those services
HB 2819	03/19/2025	Relating to the licensing and regulation of outpatient behavioral health centers; authorizing civil and administrative penalties; imposing fees
HB 2816	03/19/2025	Relating to protection of the rights of conscience of persons from providing and health care facilities from offering certain health care services; providing a civil remedy; authorizing disciplinary action
HB 2616	03/18/2025	Relating to the use of certain compensation arrangements in contracts between certain health benefit plan issuers for the provision of health care services to insureds and enrollees
HB 2230	03/14/2025	Relating to including an understanding of certain political ideologies in the foundation curriculum in public schools
HB 1869	03/14/2025	Relating to an alternate board certification to signify accreditation within a given specialty in this state and medical care provided at certain health care facilities by physicians with an alternate board certification
HB 1685	03/12/2025	Relating to the licensing and regulation of physician graduates and the authority of an insured to select a physician graduate under the insured's health insurance policy; requiring an occupational license; authorizing fees
HB 1643	03/12/2025	Relating to the authority of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District over the North Harris County Regional Water Authority
HB 1636	03/12/2025	Relating to designating certain substances as Schedule IV controlled substances under the Texas Controlled Substances Act
HB 1143	03/07/2025	Relating to the establishment of a memorial monument dedicated to unborn children on the Capitol grounds
HB 1140	03/07/2025	Relating to prohibiting a registered sex offender from residing within a certain distance of a public primary or secondary school
HB 1139	03/07/2025	Relating to venue in certain actions involving a contract for an improvement to real property
HB 1134	03/07/2025	Relating to the prohibited maintenance of certain vaccine exemption records by the Department of State Health Services
HB 1132	03/07/2025	Relating to an alternate license to practice medicine in this state and medical care provided at certain health care facilities by physicians with an alternate license
HB 1131	03/07/2025	Relating to the repeal of provisions authorizing certain taxing units in the year following the year in which a disaster occurs to adopt an ad valorem tax rate that exceeds the voter-approval tax rate without holding an election to approve the adopted tax rate; making conforming changes