Travis County declares drug overdoses a public health emergency
Boram Kim | May 25, 2022 | Texas
ACA marketplace enrollment in Texas reached record high in 2021
Boram Kim | May 21, 2022 | Texas
National abortion debate reaching crescendo in Texas as Supreme Court decision looms
Boram Kim | May 19, 2022 | Texas
The US House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on abortion rights Wednesday as the nation awaits the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade’s constitutionality in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. The political debate between a woman’s right to reproductive choice and the rights of the unborn was taken up
Zen rooms open at League City, Galveston campuses to help alleviate staff stress
UTMB Health | May 16, 2022 | Texas
Two new Zen Rooms, which are quiet spaces that promote mindfulness and invite health care workers to de-stress, were unveiled at UTMB's League City and Galveston campuses this week. “Clinical people hit the ground running and don’t stop for 12 hours,” said Christine Wade, administrator of the League City
Drug testing strips remain illegal in Texas despite recent rise in overdose deaths
Boram Kim | May 14, 2022 | Texas
After the CDC released new data on drug overdose deaths on Wednesday, Texas’s ban on drug testing strips is getting increased attention. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, a 15% increase from the previous year. The rise is
5 Things Texas: Roe v. Wade, Rural hospitals, Surprise billing
Eli Kirshbaum | May 12, 2022 | Texas
Late last month, CMS dropped its challenge of Texas's 1115 Medicaid waiver, ending a year-long dispute between the Biden administration and HHSC that held the future of Texas Medicaid in the balance. HHSC's original waiver, granted by the Trump administration in January of 2020, is now reinstated, securing the state's
In Latest Twist… Government Requests Texas Court Place 'Hold' on Its Surprise Billing Appeal
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) | May 11, 2022 | Texas
Work Remains to Ensure Final Rule Implements Law as Passed by Congress Three major medical associations are encouraged by the federal government’s request for a “hold” on its appeal of a Texas federal court ruling vacating parts of the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process in the Surprise Billing Interim Final Rule. The government
What They're Watching: Gary Seguin, Beacon Health Options
Eli Kirshbaum | May 10, 2022 | Texas
Beacon Health Options is creating "peer support" roles in its Medicaid contracts, which include parents with children in the Medicaid program, to help members navigate their experience with Medicaid behavioral health care. Gary Seguin, Clinical Quality Director at Beacon, explained that parent advocates embedded into the Medicaid managed care contracts