In Dallas, former Democratic state Rep. Carol Kent, who was swept out of office in the Republican wave of 2010, is vying for an open House seat against Jason Villalba, a political newcomer and Hispanic Republican.
Becca Aaronson
Becca Aaronson was the first product manager at the Tribune, where she worked from 2010 to 2018. As product manager, Becca managed the Tribune's website redesign, coordinates cross-departmental projects and conducted user research to improve reader experience. She previously worked on the Tribune's data visuals team as a developer and project manager, contributing to several award-winning investigative projects. She covered health care from 2012 to 2014, making waves with her coverage of women's health and the Wendy Davis abortion filibuster.
She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural theory from Scripps College in Claremont, Calif.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Top Texas News for Oct. 16, 2012
Nationally, the stage is set for tonight’s town hall-style debate between President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. At home in Texas, another debate rages over the Keystone XL Pipeline; eight more protesters were arrested Monday.
Posted in
Health care
Would Medicaid Expansion Bankrupt or Save Texas Budget?
Gov. Rick Perry has compared Texas Medicaid to the Titanic, but economists and business advocates from both sides of the political aisle say Texas shouldn’t let the program sink just yet.
Posted in
Health care
Lawmakers Want Answers on Dental, Orthodontic Fraud
Updated: As new details on Medicaid dental and orthodontic fraud investigations emerged at a House Public Health hearing on Monday, lawmakers warned that state agencies should not shirk responsibility.
Posted inState Government
Republican Lawmaker Faults Practice of Dipping Into State Pensions
State Rep. Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas, has become the first GOP lawmaker to openly disparage other elected officials for collecting a state pension while receiving a government salary for their elected position.
Posted in
Health care
Medicaid Patient Shift Squeezes Some Home Health Care Providers
The abrupt exodus of thousands of South Texas Medicaid patients from one managed care health plan is putting financial strain on home health providers still adjusting to the state’s transition to Medicaid managed care.
Posted in
Health care
Medicare Fraud Strike Force Indicts 28 in Texas
In what one federal official described as “one of the largest Medicare fraud takedowns in Department of Justice history,” the Medicare Fraud Strike Force indicted 91 people in seven cities on Thursday, including 28 in Dallas and Houston.
Posted inEconomy
Interactive: Measuring the Gender Wage Gap
Women in Texas made 70 cents for every $1 that men made in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Use this interactive to examine the gender wage gap in Texas by industry and region.
Posted in
Health care
Texas Ranks Worst for Uninsured. What’s Next?
Texas, it’s official: We have the worst rate of health insurance coverage in the country. That creates a huge financial burden on the health care system and the insured. Is politics standing in the way of reform?
Posted in
Health care
Report: Family Planning Cuts Caused More Than 50 Clinics to Close
Massive cuts lawmakers made last year to family planning funding in Texas caused more than 50 clinics statewide to close, according to a report published by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
