The latest Health And Human Services Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
Leadership problems at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in the wake of a contracting scandal leave the agency too vulnerable to consolidate at this time, according to a report released Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott's "strike force" team. Full Story
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FBI agents have interviewed Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees about the agency's problematic contract with Austin firm 21CT, Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek said Thursday, the first time any official with direct knowledge of the FBI's involvement has confirmed it. Full Story
A plan to privatize Terrell State Hospital is dead following a scathing audit that raps the state health commission for bypassing its own contracting procedures. Full Story
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Texas Republicans have long used the Affordable Care Act as a political punching bag, but that hasn’t stopped state budget writers from taking $102 million from the president's signature health care law to pay some bills. Full Story
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As the state’s largest health agency reels from a scandal over how it awarded contracts to private vendors, lawmakers on Wednesday said they are slowing down on their ambitious — and controversial — plan to restructure it. Full Story
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Three years ago, the office responsible for rooting out Medicaid fraud and abuse set a goal of finding $1 billion a year in misspent funds. But it's collecting about $995 million less than that. Full Story
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Personal attendants help the elderly and disabled with daily tasks ranging from rising and eating to bathing and going to the bathroom. For that, the state pays them about $8 an hour. Gov. Greg Abbott and some fiscal conservatives want to raise their wages. Full Story
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The new chief watchdog for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission told lawmakers Monday he plans to right the embattled department by going after fraud and waste outside and inside the $37 billion state social services empire. Full Story
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Physicians’ groups told Texas budget writers on Thursday that the state’s health insurance program for the poor pays doctors so little that it is endangering the health of the program. Full Story
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On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, talk turns to the Big Three: Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus. Full Story
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When the Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked the federal government for $18 million to foot most of the bill for new Medicaid fraud tracking software, it assured Washington counterparts the deal had been competitively bid. That was not true. Full Story
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Emblems of Jack Stick’s days as the state health agency's deputy inspector general remain: roughly 300 high-dollar badges he designed and ordered for his investigators at a cost to taxpayers of $36,000. Full Story
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After a few failed legislative attempts, Republican lawmakers are once again working to make drug testing mandatory for some Texans who receive state welfare benefits. Full Story
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At the Senate Health and Human Services Committee's first meeting of the legislative session, Chairman Charles Schwertner shared some tough criticism of the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General. Full Story
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Government misadventures, like the current contracting scandals in Texas, don't make voters happy. But they don't necessarily hurt the people in office — especially when it's easy to hang the blame on the officeholders they replaced. Full Story
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Twelve years after a major mash-up of state health agencies, the Sunset Commission and several lawmakers say it's time to finish the job and merge the remaining five systems into one. Some veteran Capitol observers say they're feeling déjà vu. Full Story
A now-canceled deal between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and a software maker is the subject of scrutiny and is also causing greater talk of state contract reforms. Here's a look back at the deal and what led to the current investigations. Full Story
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Texas's tendency to privatize state services has led to contracting scandals erupting regularly. But a history of cost overruns or bad performance hardly bars a company from winning future jobs. Full Story
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When it comes to contracting, state agencies struggle with shopping for a vendor and monitoring that vendor's performance, the Texas state auditor's office says in a new report. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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