A new Texas law requires health plans to treat out-of-state telehealth the same as in-state—and most health services owners haven't heard about it yet.
Most health services owners in Texas don't realize that starting September 1, 2025, their employer-sponsored health plans will face a new coverage requirement: they must pay for telehealth appointments involving out-of-state providers on exactly the same terms as fully in-state telehealth visits.
This requirement is buried in HB1052, legislation focused broadly on telehealth coverage. But Section 2 of the bill—which adds Subsection (e) to Section 1455.004 of the Texas Insurance Code—creates a specific mandate that affects how health benefit plans must operate.
Under the new rule, health benefit plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, must cover telehealth and teledentistry services on equal terms regardless of whether the originating site (where the patient is) or the distant site (where the provider is) sits outside Texas.
The catch: the patient must primarily reside in Texas, and the provider must hold a Texas license and maintain a physical office in Texas. Those conditions ensure the law applies only to Texas-based patients and Texas-credentialed providers offering remote care.
In plain terms, if a Texas-licensed provider with a Texas office location sees a Texas patient via video from another state, the health plan must cover it as if both parties were in Texas. Same copay, same deductible, same coverage rules.
This requirement applies to employers and health services organizations that offer or administer health benefit plans in Texas. If your organization provides employer-sponsored coverage—or if you're a health services provider whose patients use such plans—you need to understand this rule.
For employers, it means auditing your health plan documents and working with your insurer or plan administrator to confirm compliance. For providers, it means knowing that out-of-state telehealth delivery to Texas patients is now on equal footing with in-state delivery under most plans.
Telehealth has become a standard part of health service delivery. Patients increasingly expect to access care remotely, and providers often operate across state lines. Before HB1052, health plans could legally cover out-of-state telehealth differently—with higher copays, stricter limits, or outright exclusions. This law closes that gap.
The parity requirement simplifies coverage rules and removes a potential barrier to care. It also signals that Texas regulators view out-of-state telehealth as equivalent to in-state delivery when the provider is Texas-licensed and based.
The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies to plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after that date. The specific provision is found in Section 2 of HB1052, which amends Section 1455.004(e) of the Texas Insurance Code.
Health services owners should review their current plan documents and coverage policies now to ensure alignment before the effective date. If you administer a health benefit plan, contact your carrier or plan counsel to confirm compliance.
For a detailed, business-specific summary of HB1052 and related telehealth requirements, a free resource guide is available through most Texas health services trade associations.