Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, its parent Health Care Service Corporation, and related entities over alleged denials or delays of urgent and medically necessary care and potentially burdensome prior authorization requirements. The investigation is ongoing; the Attorney General issued a Civil Investigative Demand to obtain information and assess potential violations of Texas law.
Because this is an investigation rather than a concluded privacy enforcement action, in-house teams at health plans and healthcare organizations should review vendor and business associate agreements with utilization-review, claims-administration, and prior-authorization vendors for clear medical-necessity review standards, timely handling and escalation of urgent cases, documentation requirements, and audit and cooperation rights. Review customer-facing plan documents and administrative-services agreements for accurate descriptions of coverage, approval criteria, denial reasons, and expedited appeals; ensure service-level commitments do not permit administrative processes to delay urgent treatment. The release does not allege privacy violations, so it does not identify a specific need to revise privacy or breach-notification clauses.
Entity
Health Care Service Corporation (including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas)
Industry
Insurance"Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (“BCBSTX”), its parent company, Health Care Service Corporation (“HCSC”), and their related business entities."
"September 28, 2026 | Press Release"
"procedures for denying and delaying urgent and medically necessary care and its potentially burdensome prior authorization requirements."
"including the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“DTPA”)."
"Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation"
"Attorney General Paxton has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) to obtain information"
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a consumer alert warning Texas businesses and nonprofits about a surge of demand letters alleging California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) violations based on common website technologies such as cookies, pixels, and analytics tools. The AG cautions that some letters may exaggerate or misrepresent violations and may be fraudulent, noting serial CIPA plaintiff Vivek Shah has been declared a vexatious litigant. Recipients are advised not to pay or respond directly, to consult privacy counsel, and to report suspected fraud to the Consumer Protection Division.
A Texas state district court (Judge Cory Liu) has found TikTok liable for lying to parents about the safety of its platform and for exposing children to inappropriate and explicit content, making Texas the first state in the nation to hold TikTok liable on these claims. The court found that although TikTok claimed it would remove graphic videos depicting drugs, nudity, alcohol, injuries, and profanity, such videos remained accessible to minors, even under 'Restricted Mode.' No penalty has been imposed yet; Attorney General Paxton will proceed to trial, expected next month, where relief and penalties will be determined.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp., the U.S. government contractor that administers the VA Community Care Network and the Defense Health Agency's TRICARE West Region, over reports that it wrongfully denied health care claims by falsely treating insureds as having other health insurance (OHI). The OAG has issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) and plans to interview consumers and employees to determine whether TriWest violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. No findings or penalties have been imposed yet.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Amazon.com, Inc. on August 31, 2026, alleging Amazon deceived advertisers by claiming to run second-price auctions while secretly applying hidden surcharges and undisclosed 'soft reserve' prices that pushed winners' costs up by roughly 17% on ordinary days and more than 25% during peak events like Prime Day. The hidden surcharges generated roughly $4.5 billion in additional nationwide revenue in 2024, and more than 18,000 Texas sellers and vendors advertise on the platform. The State brings claims under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, an injunction against inaccurate auction descriptions, and per-auction pricing records for every Texas advertiser; the FTC and a coalition of other states filed a parallel federal action the same day.
$1.0B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a historic settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. requiring Meta to pay over $1 billion and implement significant new safeguards to protect children online. The settlement includes stricter age-assurance measures, a daily two-hour limit for teen users, default disabling of notifications during school hours, hidden likes/reactions, and a nighttime access mode restricting features for children.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an industry-wide investigation into companies marketing avocado oil products that may contain undisclosed seed oils. Civil Investigative Demands were issued to Primal Kitchen, Siete Foods, and Chosen Foods, with more companies expected to be investigated for potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.