More than half a dozen health plans are appealing the contract decisions for STAR+PLUS, the state's privatized insurance program for elderly, blind and disabled Texans. Full Story
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Watch Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, the state’s health commissioner, talk about some of the challenges for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Phillips' speech is part of a Tribune series on the next 10 years of Texas. Full Story
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Watch Mini Kahlon, the vice dean of the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School, talk about an opportunity for radical change when it comes to health care. Kahlon's speech is part of a Tribune series on the next 10 years of Texas. Full Story
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The Houston region’s Community Health Choice and San Antonio’s Community First Health plans are suing the state, saying the law promises them a piece of roughly $10 billion in Medicaid contracts. Full Story
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The Texas Pregnancy Care Network, the largest recipient of funding under the state's controversial Alternatives to Abortion program, is poised to receive millions more under the proposal. Full Story
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Supporters say the measure would prevent women from regretting an abortion after they have the procedure. But abortion rights advocates fear the bill lacks key protections, like a requirement for the counselor to be a licensed medical professional. Full Story
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Most states check once a year whether children on Medicaid still qualify for the program. Texas checks more often, using an automated system that critics say leads to kids losing coverage even though they're still eligible. Full Story
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As of July 18, Texas’ 35 state-licensed shelters had permission to accommodate up to 6,286 children, according to the state health commission. With 4,937 kids living in them, that means they’re at 78% capacity. Full Story
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The backlog — exacerbated by the state's switch in January to a new computer system for processing records — comes as the short-staffed Texas Department of State Health Services vies for a boost in funding. Meanwhile, families anxiously wait. Full Story
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A federal program known as the 1115 waiver helps pay for the costs of providing health care to the uninsured. Advocates want the Texas Legislature to order a renegotiation of the waiver, which partially expires in 2021. Full Story
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The Texas Department of State Health Services says 186 people, including immigrants and detention center employees, were confirmed with cases of mumps since October. Full Story
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Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah voters approved Medicaid expansion through ballot initiatives. Now Texas legislators have filed bills for a vote over whether the state should expand coverage for the joint federal-state health insurance program. Full Story
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Amid uncertainty about the federal health law, state legislators will tackle a variety of issues during the session, from abortion to mental health to opioids to funding for Medicaid. Full Story
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Advocates for state workers are calling for increased pay after a State Auditor’s Office report released in December found that agency turnover was at 19.3 percent in the 2018 budget year. The top reasons employees said they left were retirement, better pay and benefits and poor working conditions. Full Story
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Chris Traylor's new position comes after joining the federal government in July as deputy administrator for strategic initiatives at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Full Story
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A leading anti-vaccine group claims that day cares are breaking the law by denying kids who haven't been vaccinated. Experts say the group is misinterpreting the law. Full Story
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Texas Health and Human Services Commission officials said in an email that “it has become clear that the Heidi Group is unable to come into compliance” and that the organization would no longer be part of the state’s Family Planning Program or the Healthy Texas Women program as of Dec. 11. Full Story
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Courtney Phillips currently leads the Department of Health and Human Services in Nebraska. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Marissa and Emma about moldy, rat-infested state office buildings, family reunifications at the border, TV ads in the U.S. Senate race and a Republican state lawmaker's tough words for the Texas governor. Full Story
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If the state's health agencies have been willing — until found out — to let their own employees work in squalor, should the rest of us be asking more questions about how they're watching out for us? Full Story
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