Year in Review: Health and Human Services

Scandals, public policy shifts and legal battles rocked the Texas health care world in 2012.

Some of the biggest changes in Texas health care resulted from decisions that lawmakers made in the 2011 legislative session, such as the expansion of Medicaid managed care across the state and the drastic cuts to family planning funding.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June that the Affordable Care Act should remain law cleared the path for a slew of policy changes that will dramatically shift the landscape of Texas health care in the coming years.

Pervasive Medicaid fraud — particularly in orthodontic and dental care — led to a state crackdown on Medicaid providers, which has had it’s own set of consequences.

And the results of a series of legal challenges — from Planned Parenthood fighting to stay in the Women’s Health Program to the state fighting for exemptions to a federal rule requiring employers to provide coverage for contraception — are still to come. 

Below are links to some of the Tribune's top health care stories this year:

In Texas and Va., Different Reactions to Sonogram Bills

Texas Joins Lawsuit to Challenge Contraception Rule

After Health Care Ruling, TX Has Big Decisions to Make

Medicaid Overhaul Causing Pain for Some Pharmacists

Video Series: Fertile Ground

Medicaid Dental System an Ongoing Challenge

In Medicaid Fraud Investigations, A Controversial Tool

Before Health Exchange Deadline, Perry Reaffirms Stance

Interactive: The Uninsured in Texas

Report: Family Planning Cuts Caused 53 Clinics to Close

Lawmakers Could Restore Family Planning Cuts 

Amid Investigations, CPRIT's Future Uncertain