2025 Health Care Report: What Lawmakers Got Right – and What Comes Next
Every two years, the Texas Legislature convenes in Austin to pass the state budget — but in the process, thousands of other bills are filed, many of which could reshape lives and industries across the state. This session, over 9,000 bills were filed — a small fraction passed, but all were worth watching. That’s where advocacy groups like Texans for Affordable Healthcare (TAHC) come in.
Each session begins with a reset of legislative committees, including potential new chairs and members. These changes matter. Committees like House Insurance, Public Health, Human Services, and their Senate counterparts — Health and Human Services and Business and Commerce — are where health care legislation lives or dies. TAHC monitors these shifts closely and works early with legislative leaders, often providing input before committee decisions are even finalized.
This year, the Speaker’s race set the tone early. Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock was elected Speaker — a lawmaker known for his pro-business, anti-mandate record. With a familiar face in the Lt. Governor’s office and new leadership in the House, TAHC prepared early to ensure every one of the 181 lawmakers understood our mission.
TAHC’s 2025 Priorities
Heading into session, TAHC delivered a clear message: No new health care mandates — at least not until Texas confronts the rising cost of care. We advocated for:
Greater price transparency
Expanded access and consumer choice
Real market-based solutions to drive down costs
With 34 new lawmakers this session, TAHC leaned on its grassroots network to amplify our message. Before the gavel dropped, we asked you — our advocates — to reach out, and you delivered.
Advocacy Works
Throughout session, we kept you updated on priority bills and mobilized action. More than 19,000 emails and calls were made through TAHC’s advocacy platform — helping defeat costly mandates and supporting bills that required cost reviews and fiscal impact notes before lawmakers passed health policy changes.
Legislators trust groups like TAHC, but nothing compares to hearing from constituents. Your engagement made a difference.
Success by the Numbers
Through digital outreach and grassroots efforts, TAHC reached nearly 650,000 Texans — and we aim to double that. As TAHC’s executive director, I testified or registered positions on over 30 key bills, and here’s the bottom line:
Every bill TAHC opposed was defeated—protecting Texas families and employers from millions in new health care costs, duplicative regulations, and government overreach that would have raised premiums, undermined self-funded plans, and increased administrative burdens with no added value. SB 1122, HB 2750, HB 1818, and HB 3695 are just a few examples of bills that would have eliminated flexibility in the marketplace and driven up costs.
22 of 35 bills we supported passed and were sent to the Governor
These wins include measures to:
Improve price transparency (SB 331, SB 493, SB 916)
Expand cost-estimate access (HB 138)
Protect cash-pay rates (HB 1612)
Require itemized medical billing (HB 216)
Incentivize smart shopping for care (SB 926)
These are real steps toward bending the cost curve and empowering Texas patients and employers.
What’s Next
Though lawmakers don’t reconvene until 2027, the work doesn’t stop. In the interim:
Rulemaking begins at the Texas Department of Insurance to implement this session’s laws
Statewide elections loom, with every major office — including Governor and Lt. Governor — on the ballot
TAHC will monitor other states for “copycat” legislation that could surface here
We’ll also continue educating lawmakers and staff — and we may call on you again. We must grow our network to compete with special interests pushing costly mandates and rolling back transparency.
Thank You!
Thanks to your participation, this was one of the most successful sessions for Texas patients and businesses in recent memory. Let’s keep the momentum going. Stay tuned.