Opinion: What some Republicans don’t understand about health care policy
Eric Earling | Mar 30, 2017
Balance billing legislation moves forward in Austin
Eric Earling | Mar 29, 2017 | Texas
The war against freestanding ERs continues
Eric Earling | Mar 24, 2017 | Texas
What happened to the AHCA vote?
Eric Earling | Mar 23, 2017
The war against freestanding ERs
Eric Earling | Mar 17, 2017 | Texas
With all the attention in Austin on state budget battles, Medicaid, and the impact of changing the ACA, there has been little attention on the steady legislative push against freestanding ERs in Texas. For months we've heard consistently from a number of stakeholders, including consumer advocates, health insurers, and even some providers
State opportunity to innovate in Medicaid is there for the taking
Eric Earling | Mar 15, 2017 | Alaska, Hawaii, Texas
Yesterday HHS released a letter to Governors from Secretary Tom Price and freshly sworn-in CMS Administrator Seema Verma, inviting states to take steps to innovate on Medicaid. The letter creates a clear opportunity for states who have been wanting to try new things in the program to do so: We
The hidden reason why Trumpcare has problems
Eric Earling | Mar 14, 2017
Well, maybe not hidden. And we're not talking about the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) nuking the GOP's proposed American Health Care Act with its brutal assessment of how many millions would lose coverage under the bill. The real hidden reason: not enough key staff at federal agencies to implement the
DaVita's misdeeds | Anne Rote | Why the GOP is struggling with "Replace"
Eric Earling | Mar 9, 2017 | Texas
For those of us that experienced the ACA debate in 2009, the current "repeal and replace" debate is oddly familiar. But, what's next is anyone's guess as the long-awaited Republican alternative is quickly taking on water from all sides. Meanwhile in Austin, the Legislature is focused on the budget -- with
Why replacing the ACA is so tough: part 2
Eric Earling | Mar 3, 2017
Earlier this week we looked at why the politics of replacing the ACA are way more complicated and challenging for Republicans than some might think based on the seemingly straightforward campaign cry in 2016 to "repeal and replace" the law. Health care. Complicated. Who knew? Part two of "why replacing the
Why DaVita is being regulated, investigated, and sued
Eric Earling | Mar 2, 2017 | California, Texas, Washington
Something unusual came out of DaVita Inc. releasing its 4th Quarter 2016 results recently. Specifically, DaVita, known primarily as a large, national provider of dialysis services, projects operating income to fall from $1.849 billion in 2016 to a range of $1.638 billion to $1.775 billion for 2017. In contrast, DaVita's major national