The Brief: May 27, 2014
Will Texas buck the larger national trend in Republican politics and go in deeper with support of Tea Party candidates and causes? Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Cost of New Hepatitis Drug Raises Questions About Equal Access
A new treatment for hepatitis C is considered a breakthrough for people with the liver disease. But the high cost of the drug has complicated efforts to get the medication to Texans who receive government-subsidized health care. Full Story
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![Solvadi, a costly but effective new hepatitis C treatment.]()
Credit: Gilead Sciences -
The Brief: May 26, 2014
The conversation over the weekend before the party primary runoff elections was dominated by — what else? — the GOP race for lieutenant governor. Full Story
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![State Sen. Dan Patrick and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and debated in Salado, Tx on May 20, 2014, ahead of the Republican primary runoff for lieutenant governor.]()
Credit: Illustration by Steve Moakley -
Amid Scrutiny of VA Clinics, Legislators Look to Help Cut Wait Times
More attention is being paid to the quality of care at VA medical centers in Texas. Though the state is limited in what it can do to assist the federal facilities, legislators are still proposing possible methods to help reduce wait times. Full Story
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Credit: Adam Fagen -
The Brief: May 22, 2014
A lawmaker involved in the House's investigation of UT System Regent Wallace Hall said the process of drafting articles of impeachment could take months. Also, Gov. Rick Perry gave his most forceful defense to date of his appointee to the university system's governing board. Full Story
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![Regent Wallace Hall, Jr. at a regular meeting of the University of Texas Board of Regents in Ashbell Smith Hall in Austin.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: May 19, 2014
The news over the weekend that San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro is being considered for the post of housing and urban development secretary has people in Texas and D.C. wondering how this rearranges the electoral chessboard for 2016 and beyond. Full Story
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![San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 22, 2012.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Nurse Practitioners Say That Greater Autonomy Would Cure Challenges
Nurse practitioners say state regulations, which link them to supervising physicians, limit their ability to treat patients in a state with a looming shortage of primary care physicians. Full Story
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![Dr. Rose Okoro, a nurse practitioner, who owns Daystar Family Clinic in Katy, is shown on May 12. 2014. She says she has struggled to treat a greater number of Medicaid patients because of state regulations.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
The Brief: May 16, 2014
News reports late Thursday that lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick had received treatment for depression and exhaustion in the 1980s threatened to roil further an an already tense runoff contest just days before voters begin casting ballots. Full Story
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![Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and state Sen. Dan Patrick, who are both running in the 2014 Republican primary for lieutenant governor]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
TribLive: A Conversation With Mike Conaway
Full video of my 5/13 TribLive conversation with U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland. Full Story
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TribLive: A Conversation With John Boehner
Full video of my 5/12 conversation in San Antonio with U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the speaker of the House of Representatives. Full Story
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Texas Cancels Medicaid Contract, Sues Xerox Over Allegedly Misspent Money
Health officials canceled a multi-million-dollar contract with Xerox, and the state sued the contractor on Friday amid allegations it erroneously doled out hundreds of millions of dollars for medically unnecessary Medicaid claims. Full Story
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![Dr. Behzad Nazari at his remaining dental clinic in Houston on Friday, April 25, 2014. Nazari sold two of three Antoine Dental clinics after the state began withholding Medicaid payments while they investigated the clinics for fraud.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
State Faces Tough Task Getting Former Foster Youth Health Coverage
A little-known provision of the Affordable Care Act grants certain young adults who were formerly in foster care extended health coverage through Medicaid until they turn 26. But locating and enrolling them could prove tough. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: May 7, 2014
The word "mess" doesn't even begin to describe what greeted the new director of the state agency that supervises the state's most violent sex offenders when she showed up to work. Full Story
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Credit: Rob Crow -
The Brief: May 6, 2014
With his opponent's lapses in disclosure making headlines in recent days, some are now questioning GOP attorney general candidate Dan Branch's own commitment to transparency. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Branch, who is running for Attorney General, speaks to the Pachyderm Club in Houston Thursday Nov. 14, 2013.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
The Brief: May 5, 2014
Land Commissioner (and former lieutenant governor hopeful) Jerry Patterson will endorse David Dewhurst in the primary runoff contest over Dan Patrick, Dallas radio station KERA reported on Sunday. Full Story
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![Republican candidates for lieutenant governor from left, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson; state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston; Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples; and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst take their places for a debate at KERA studios in Dallas on Monday, Jan. 27, 2014.]()
Credit: LM Otero / AP Photo -
When is a State Contract Too Big to Fail?
While health officials have repeatedly raised concerns with a state contractor for its role in opening the door to a massive Medicaid fraud scheme, they have not severed its multiyear contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Full Story
![Dr. Behzad Nazari at his remaining dental clinic in Houston on Friday, April 25, 2014. Nazari sold two of three Antoine Dental clinics after the state began withholding Medicaid payments while they investigated the clinics for fraud.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
The Brief: May 2, 2014
The rapid rise of so-called dark money, contributions made through political nonprofits that shield their donors' identities, drew the attention of a House panel on Thursday. Full Story
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Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller -
In Texas, Obamacare Enrollment Spiked Before Deadline
Texas enrollment in the federal health insurance marketplace more than doubled in the month leading up to the deadline, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Full Story
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![Zoila Chaver, second from right, a member of the Texas Organizing Project, giving health care information to Dallas resident Graciela Garcia at Garcia's home on July 10, 2013.]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
Animation: Straightening Out Texas Medicaid
In 2010, Texas spent more on Medicaid orthodontic services than the nation’s nine other most populous states combined. Now, state investigators are on a mission to reclaim hundreds of millions of misspent Medicaid dollars. So, how'd the state get in this mess in the first place? Full Story
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Company That Approved Unnecessary Orthodontia Kept Its State Contract
While dental providers accused of overbilling Texas' Medicaid program by hundreds of millions of dollars remain in legal limbo, the contractor that approved the procedures is still being paid more than $100 million annually by the state. Full Story
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![Dr. Behzad Nazari at his remaining dental clinic in Houston Friday, April 25, 2014. Nazari operated 3 clinics in Houston with 15 licensed dentists. After the state alleged he had committed Medicaid fraud and began withholding payments, he sold two clinics. He has challenged the state's payment hold in court.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato