The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
The legislative founders of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas laid out the first draft of a bill to reform the embattled agency on Tuesday before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Full Story
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Outside of the Capitol, some momentum for Medicaid expansion is building with the state's two largest health care trade associations announcing their support for extending coverage to low-income adults. Full Story
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The Texas attorney general's office is touting a new state record — $1 billion in Medicaid fraud recoveries over the last decade. Full Story
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The families of terminally ill patients would receive more time to find a willing medical provider for their relative and get more help through difficult end-of-life legal processes under a bill filed by state Sen. Robert Deuell. Full Story
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Health care advocates flocked to the Capitol on Thursday to urge the Senate Finance Committee to consider expanding Medicaid, restoring funding for family planning services and improving the state’s health care delivery system. Full Story
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A lead senator on the Senate Finance Committee had tough questions about allegations of Medicaid fraud and whether dental clincs are hurting Texas children. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, discussed what the state should do about its exploding Medicaid obligations. Full Story
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Agency commissioners rarely get applause when they ask the Legislature for an additional $263 million. But that’s what happened on Thursday when John Specia asked to for money to redesign the Department of Family and Protective Services. Full Story
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Use our county-by-county interactive to track annual local spending on unreimbursed health care costs, and to see how those figures compare to the federal dollars counties would receive under the Medicaid expansion. Full Story
Texas budget writers got a briefing on the state’s health care programs Wednesday, and the biggest questions focused on how the state can reduce fraud and what to do about ever-increasing health care costs. Full Story
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The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday opened its discussion on how to finance the state's health budget by considering the impact of cost containment initiatives and how to proactively curb Medicaid fraud. Full Story
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After complaints from lawmakers about its earlier list of Texas Women’s Health Program providers, the state health agency has replaced its list online. The new list has 965 fewer doctors and clinics. Full Story
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Though reforms have improved the state’s health care system for foster children, child welfare advocates say, the rate of foster children prescribed psychotropic drugs remains high. Full Story
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A state audit has revealed that transparency problems at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas extend beyond the improper review of an $11 million commercialization grant that sparked criminal and civil investigations. Full Story
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Texas' Republican leadership is adamant that Texas will not expand Medicaid, a major tenet of federal health reform. A report by the state's former deputy comptroller and former chief revenue estimator suggests that would be short-sighted. Full Story
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In this edition of the Newsreel: Legislative debate over women's health funding, abortion and Planned Parenthood has started. This week is the 4oth anniversary of the Rove v. Wade ruling. Lawmakers are talking again about guns on campus. Full Story
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Attorney General Greg Abbott announced on Friday the creation of the Choose Life Advisory Committee, a group that will make recommendations for spending money generated by "Choose Life" license plates. Full Story
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Connie Spears, a double amputee, says Texas' tort reform laws obstructed her ability to find a malpractice lawyer and forced a judge to order her to pay thousands of dollars to cover some defendants’ legal bills. Full Story
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A bill filed Thursday in the Texas House would give religiously based businesses a state tax break if the businesses chose not to comply with the federal government’s mandate that employers provide contraception coverage. Full Story
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Water, transportation and education are the dominant topics this legislative session, but pro-marijuana reform groups hope that recent laws passed in Colorado and Washington will sway Texas lawmakers to follow suit. Full Story
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