The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
Ben, Evan, Ross and Emily talk about races to watch in the fast-approaching primary, Gov. Rick Perry's budget compact announcement and the Planned Parenthood merger. And Evan hears from some special birthday guests. Full Story
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UPDATED: The boards of three regional Planned Parenthood branches — North Texas, Central Texas and the Capital Region — have voted to merge, forming a $29 million-per-year mega-organization with 26 clinics. Full Story
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Attorney General Greg Abbott defends the lawsuits he has pending against the federal government amid criticism that he's wasting taxpayer money, reports Ted Oberg of Houston's KTRK-TV, a media partner of the Trib. Full Story
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UPDATED: Texas health officials have delivered their much-anticipated plans for taking over the Medicaid Women's Health Program. They want to assume full responsibility in November. Federal officials say they're considering the plan. Full Story
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This interactive breaks down the costs of the lawsuits that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has brought against the federal government. Full Story
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Aaronson maps Medicaid patients' access to pharmacies, Aguilar on Mexicans in exile, Batheja on an unlikely threat to a veteran lawmaker's re-election, Galbraith and Murphy interactively track reservoir levels around the state, Grissom on the ringleaders who rule the state's largest youth lockup, Hamilton on how much Texas professors are paid, Ramsey on who's conservative, Ramshaw and Tan on the latest Planned Parenthood kerfuffle, Root on what Santorum's exit means for the Texas primary, and parts 4 (by M. Smith) and 5 (by Tan and Dehn) of our series on school district closures: The best of our best content from April 9-13, 2012. Full Story
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The Texas Medical Board has approved controversial new rules on the adult stem cells, sparking worries that Texans could pay tens of thousands of dollars for injections that have not yet been proven safe or effective. Full Story
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The Texas Medical Board is poised today to decide on controversial guidelines for the adult stem cell industry, which is likely to prove lucrative. Full Story
The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners was accused of ineptitude Wednesday during a House Public Health Committee hearing. But some said the board lacks the resources to do its job well. Full Story
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The University of Texas at Austin is kicking the smoking habit, announcing today that it will ban smoking on all university grounds. The new policy is meant to ensure that UT continues receiving cancer research funds. Full Story
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Planned Parenthood branches in Texas have filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to block their exclusion from the state's Women's Health Program. Full Story
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Use this interactive map to compare Medicaid patients’ access to pharmacies across the state. Full Story
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The first two parts of M. Smith's series on failing school districts (plus Murphy and Seger's interactive on how districts' characteristics relate to ratings), Root on lagging GOP candidates for president trying to shore things up in Texas, Ramshaw on a "fiscal switcheroo" to get federal money for women's health programs, Galbraith talks to a West Texas farmer about crop insurance and climate change and Aguilar on the money behind a lawsuit on long rifle sales: The best of our best content from April 2 to 6, 2012. Full Story
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From contraception and cancer screenings to "Obamacare" and state physician shortages, here's a look at the month ahead in Texas health policy. Full Story
In a fiscal switcheroo, Texas could free up state dollars to fund the embattled Women's Health Program by seeking federal block grants for other programs, the state's health commissioner wrote in a letter to House Democrats on Tuesday. Full Story
For this week's nonscientific survey of the state's political and government insiders, we asked about their current assessment of the presidential race, federal health care, prosecutor accountability, and whether the governor could wind up on the national ticket. Full Story
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Texas businesses are skeptical of the federal health care law, according to a report released by the comptroller's office. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents said the law will be bad for business. Full Story
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Aaronson interactively maps Texas Medicaid providers, Aguilar talks legalization with the head of the Drug Policy Alliance, Galbraith on farmers watering what they know won't grow, Grisson sits down with exoneree Michael Morton, Hamilton on the elusive $10,000 college degree, Murphy et al. update the 2012 election brackets, Ramsey on Bill Ratliff's frank budget analysis, Ramshaw on a hospital where the overweight need not apply, Root on Joe Straus' primary opponent and Tan rounds up reactions to the Supreme Court's health care hearings: The best of our best content from March 26-30, 2012. Full Story
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A Republican former lieutenant governor laments the cuts in public education spending and the Legislature's reliance on borrowing and accounting tricks to balance the state budget. Full Story
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Here's a final roundup of Texas reactions to the last day of the U.S. Supreme Court's historic hearings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Full Story