The Senate Finance Committee heard public testimony today on proposed cuts to health and human services.
Health care
In-depth reporting on public health, healthcare policy, hospitals, and wellness issues shaping communities across Texas, from The Texas Tribune.
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Health care
Are Payment Reform, Texas Budget In Conflict?
Lawmakers are crafting legislation to make health care more affordable and effective by rewarding doctors who get the best medical outcomes. But the cuts they’re proposing to meet the state’s budget shortfall could hinder some of the same physicians they’re relying on to implement payment reform.
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Health care
David Dewhurst: The TT Interview
The lieutenant governor believes he knows how to save Texas money and improve patient care by overhauling how doctors and hospitals are paid: with carrots, not sticks. In an interview with the Tribune, he talks about what he sees as the root of the health care crisis, and his proposed solutions.
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Health care
Suehs Warns Lawmakers On Health Cuts
Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs pulled no punches when he warned Senate lawmakers today what proposed budget cuts will mean: either cutting the number of people served, or the money paid to those who care for them.
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Health care
Most Texans Support Smoking Ban, Poll Says
The latest from Gov. Rick Perry’s preferred polling firm, Baselice & Associates, shows that 70 percent of Texans support a ban on indoor smoking, including in restaurants and bars.
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Health care
Medicaid Cuts Worry Texas Nursing Homes
Texas agencies facing the budget ax say the only thing left to cut are the services they fund. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on fears that many of the state’s nursing homes could be forced to dramatically cut back or even close as a result.
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Health care
Abbott: Why “Obamacare” is Unconstitutional
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says the reason is simple: Never before have Americans been mandated to buy a product for a specific reason.
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Health care
Abbott: No Limits To Congressional Authority?
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says there will be no limits to congressional authority if the constitutionality of health care reform is upheld.
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Health care
TribBlog: Health Reform Ruled Unconstitutional [Updated]
A federal judge in Florida has ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — the federal health care reform that was signed into law in March — is unconstitutional, largely because it forces all Americans to purchase insurance.
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Demographics
Red Meat, Fast Track
Abortion politics is back on center stage, with Gov. Rick Perry putting it, voter photo ID, state support for a balanced federal budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, eminent domain and a ban on sanctuary cities at the top of his list of priorities. Why?