The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Abused children in Texas are being left longer in psychiatric facilities, prices for some of the country's top drugs have increased more than 100 percent in recent years and an interview with David Earnest, a professor at Texas A&M University. Full Story
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In emails and posts on a private Facebook page, parents are responding to last week's killing at UT-Austin by demanding something be done about the homeless, especially along the Drag. Full Story
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Some of the state officeholders elected in 2014 face struggles to gain control of their government, political and legal duties. They're looking like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight, or the 1962 Mets. But the stakes are more serious than that. Full Story
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At a time of heightened public scrutiny of Texas’ embattled child welfare agency, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed new leadership of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Full Story
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The Texas foster care system has been throwing off increasingly desperate distress signals for months. It falls to caseworkers like 27-year-old Daniel Hernandez to try to keep it working. Full Story
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Abused children in Texas are being left in psychiatric facilities longer than they were six years ago as the state's child protective services system grapples with federal court scrutiny and diminishing options. Full Story
On this week's TribCast, Ross talks to Ayan, Alexa and Edgar about the aftermath of Wisconsin's presidential primaries, a tragic instance of confusion over the state's abortion laws, and the state's efforts to clean up problems with child protection in Texas. Full Story
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Six days after Gov. Greg Abbott took office, he faced the first death of a child under state care. Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune capture his staff's efforts, and frustrations, trying to fix the state's embattled foster care system. Full Story
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An Austin couple sought medical help when their almost-20-week old son began emerging early, but were told doctors could do little to help because of restrictions on abortion in Texas. Full Story
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A new political action committee has made its mission to guard parents’ rights to opt out of immunization requirements — whether that means targeting legislators who seek to close non-medical exemptions or pushing for policies that otherwise protect parents who choose not to vaccinate. Full Story
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A state tax that imposes a 55-cent fee on each pack of cigarettes produced by small tobacco manufacturers is constitutional, even though Big Tobacco manufacturers do not pay the tax, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday. Full Story
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Thanks to a surge in drilling, La Salle County was able to finance a multi-million upgrade to its emergency response capabilities. While the oil boom has stalled, the dramatic improvements are here to stay, officials say. Full Story
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Texas women will be able to obtain medical abortions later into their pregnancies under newly approved changes by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Full Story
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A Texas-based Planned Parenthood affiliate on Thursday moved to join a federal lawsuit filed in California against the anti-abortion group behind undercover videos of the organization’s clinics. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court revealed sharp divisions during oral arguments Wednesday over whether religiously affiliated nonprofits, including two Texas universities, should be exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate. Full Story
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In another major case concerning Texas women’s reproductive care, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider if the right to religious freedom is broad enough to completely exempt religious nonprofits from providing women access to contraceptives through their insurance plans. Full Story
A federal appeals court on Monday rejected Attorney General Ken Paxton's efforts to block the appointment of special masters to oversee reforms in the state's troubled foster care system. Full Story
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The number of children sleeping in Child Protective Services offices shot up after an internal policy change at the agency limited child placements, according to state data released Thursday. Full Story
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The number of abortions performed in Texas dropped 14.2 percent in 2014, with almost 9,000 fewer procedures in the state compared to the year before. Full Story
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A new group has joined the chorus lambasting Texas for resisting court-ordered reforms to its foster care system: its own employees who work with children. Full Story
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