Rep. Tom Oliverson Receives Legislative Achievement Award

In recognition of his work during the 2017 Regular Texas Legislative Session, state Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) has been presented a Texas Legislative Achievement Award from AARP Texas.

Dr. Oliverson authored and fought for successful passage of legislation – House Bill 3276 – that requires freestanding emergency rooms to be more transparent regarding insurance networks covered by these facilities. The legislation, which received bipartisan support, was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and took effect on Sept. 1.

The new law arises as many patients are hit with confusing or unexpected charges after receiving care. Also called surprise medical billing, the topic of health plan provider transparency is of crucial importance in Texas, partly due to a recent increase in the number of freestanding emergency rooms.

“Representative Oliverson is recognized for his work to protect consumers by fighting for a law that aims to curtail the confusion over insurance coverage of patient care in certain health facilities,” said Bob Jackson, director of the nonpartisan and nonprofit AARP Texas, which has more than 2.3 million members in Texas.

Representative Oliverson was presented the Legislative Achievement Award on Tuesday at the Champion Forest Baptist Church in Jersey Village. Blake Hutson of the AARP Texas state advocacy team, and Paul Morgan, president of the AARP Cypress Fairbanks Chapter 4543, were among the presenters.

Representative Oliverson represents Texas House District 130, which includes portions of Harris County.