The Texas Medical Association was mindful of the repercussions of far-reaching health care consolidation legislation that affects all physicians and likewise succeeded in defeating a bill with a Pandora’s box of unintended consequences.
House Bill 2747 would have imposed onerous reporting requirements on even small physician practices for uncomplicated business transactions, such as merging practices or signing a lease, plus significant financial and civil penalties if those reporting requirements weren’t met.
Rep. Greg Bonnen, MD (R-Friendswood), notes that while there is value in better understanding the horizontal and vertical transactions occurring in health care, HB 2747 would have been overly prescriptive in its effects on independent private practice.
As the legislation was debated at the Capitol, so too a TMA resolution calling for increased oversight of private equity, a driving force in vertical integration, drew debate on the floor at the 2025 House of Delegates and is under study.
The defeat of HB 2747 is “a good example where TMA was” on the issue, said Zeke Silva, MD, chair of TMA’s Council on Legislation.
During session, “We were the only voice coming forward and saying ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa – I understand what we’re trying to accomplish here, but we need to think about what this means to the [tens of thousands of] practicing physicians in our state,’” Dr. Silva said.
Last Updated On
August 29, 2025
Originally Published On
August 28, 2025
Jessica Ridge
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1395