In the wake of a contracting scandal at Texas’ top health agency, Gov. Greg Abbott has sent a letter to the heads of all state agencies outlining reforms to the bidding and procurement processes.
Edgar Walters
Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
Posted in
Health care
The Health Care Budget: Four Things to Know
Texas can rebel against Obamacare and Medicaid expansion all it wants, but enrollment in the state’s insurance program for the poor is growing, and the federal government will be paying for less of it. An additional $1.3 billion might be needed just to maintain the status quo.
Posted in
Health care
Carson: Don’t Talk ACA Repeal Without Alternative Plan
Speaking Thursday at the Texas Hospital Association conference in Austin, potential GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said it was a “mistake to talk about repealing” the Affordable Care Act without offering an alternative.
Posted in
Health care
Few Texas Hospitals Reap Bonuses for Performance
A slim majority of Texas hospitals earned bonuses from Medicare this year for treating their patients well. But many are also being fined under a different Medicare program for treating their patients poorly.
Posted in
Health care
Arkansas Medicaid Plan Offers Mixed Lessons
Early on, supporters of Medicaid expansion pointed to Arkansas as an example of how Texas might go about helping insure its poor. But lately, the neighbor’s grass doesn’t look quite as green.
Posted in
Health care
Amid Health Commission Contracting Fallout, Abbott Calls for Review
UPDATED: Gov.-elect Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the creation of an independent “strike force” to review the state’s largest health agency, specifically how it awards contracts to private vendors.
Posted inHealth care, Politics, State Government
Battles Near and Far Over Medicaid and More
Gov. Rick Perry has championed private-market health care solutions and criticized public programs like Medicaid for being inefficient. Alexa Ura and Edgar Walters write about that and other notable health care issues that have come up during Perry’s tenure.
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Health care
For Members of Health Ministries, Caring Means Sharing the Bills
A small but fast-growing number of Texans are joining health care sharing ministries, religious alternatives to federally mandated insurance in which members pool monthly payments to help cover one another’s medical expenses.
Posted inPolitics
Map: Comparing Nondiscrimination Ordinances in Texas Cities
On Monday, the Plano City Council voted to extend its nondiscrimination policy to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Use our map to see what nondiscrimination policies other major Texas cities have on the books.
Posted in
Politics
In Austin, City Council Elections Big on Drama
In city council runoff elections now underway in Austin, some voters will have the chance to weigh in on a sibling rivalry, while others will be asked to choose sides in a fight over religion and a theory about 9/11.
