Dive Brief:
- The Texas Department of Insurance has proposed new rules for counselors (known as "health navigators") will help people by health insurance under the ACA.
- Navigators already must receive 20 to 30 hours of training to serve in their current capacity.
- Under the new rules, navigators would need to attain 40 additional hours of training, which would cost more than $800 a year.
Dive Insight:
At a hearing held by the Texas Department of Insurance, officials from nonprofit agencies that train navigators told the DOI that the existing 20 to 30 hour training requirement is enough. If the agencies responsible for training them are comfortable with the level of training they supply, it makes little sense to impose a new requirement that might shrink the supply of the badly needed navigators. But with Texas Gov. Rick Perry firmly opposed to the ACA, it's unlikely he'll let any aspect of the bill slide by without intense scrutiny or challenges. Even if this issue dies down, expect other ACA-related requirements to pop up in Texas.