UPDATED: House Bill 1514, which would add a special label to the health insurance cards of people receiving financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act, tentatively passed the Texas House on Friday. Opinions are mixed on what the impact would be.
federal health reform
Video: Health Care and the 84th Legislative Session
At our 5/4 symposium on health care, state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, the chairman of the House Public Health Committee, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, talked about how the issue is playing out in the 84th session.
Federal Officials Warn Texas: Expand Medicaid or Risk Hospital Funds
Federal officials called the state’s health agency this week to say that Texas’ reluctance to expand Medicaid will play into whether the Obama administration extends a waiver that helps the state’s hospitals cover uninsured patients.
Poor Payouts Endangering Medicaid, Doctors Say
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.
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.
Finding a Texas Way to Cover the Uninsured
Texas hospitals want legislators to find a way for the state to draw down billions in federal Affordable Care Act dollars to cover the uninsured and alleviate the burden on local taxpayers. This is the third video in our State of Mind series.
Video: New House Members on the Health Care
At our 1/14 conversation, new state Reps. Celia Israel, D-Austin, Linda Koop, R-Dallas, and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, talked about what the Lege is likely to do on health care.
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.
TribLive: A Conversation With Nichols and Clardy
Full video of my 10/23 TribLive conversation with state Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, and state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.
TribLive: Changing Population, Changing Health Care
Full video of our 10/6 TribLive conversation with Rice University’s Vivian Ho, Elena Marks of the Episcopal Health Foundation, former State Demographer Steve Murdock, Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez and state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston.


