Beginning in 2004, Texas required all small employer insurance carriers to offer at least one plan offering all the mandated benefits by law, and at least one Consumer Choice Plan that may exclude or limit coverage of certain mandated benefits. Insurers are required to disseminate written disclosures listing the mandated benefits absent from the health plan. Some of the benefits which may be excluded or reduced include treatment for acquired brain injury; coverage for AIDS, HIV or related illnesses; chemical dependency treatment, or telemedicine/telehealth services. In addition, carriers may also charge higher deductible and coinsurance requirements than are allowed under traditional plans. In 2006, approximately 130,000 Texans were covered under the new Consumer Choice plans, including 14,429 people who were previously uninsured.
