Two years ago the Texas Legislature, cowed by veto threats from Gov. Rick Perry, turned down billions of dollars in health care funding from the federal government. It was sacrificed on the altar of politics — that is, the desire to do anything possible to make the Affordable Care Act a failure — without much [...]
The Washington Times (12/29, Howell) reports that as states consider whether to expand Medicaid under the ACA, they are also considering how they will cover the cost of the expansion as the Federal government’s support begins to taper off in 2017. Under the law, in 2017, “the federal share would drop to 95 percent, and [...]
Dallas Regional Chamber Legislative Agenda The Dallas Regional Chamber serves the business community of the most populated metropolitan area in Texas and will actively advocate for legislation that will positively impact business and quality of life in our region. Dallas/Fort Worth is home to the largest workforce in the state, producing $420 billion in gross [...]
The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the 2015 State Legislative Agenda, addressing three key areas of focus to prepare for as the session approaches in January. The Legislative Agenda outlines the areas that the Chamber will place its focus on advocacy that will have the most impact for propelling business success, based on what legislation [...]
What’s the biggest obstacle to drawing billions of federal dollars for the medically uninsured in Texas? Think of those politically radioactive terms Obamacare andMedicaid. Some Texas Republicans have based careers on gnashing their teeth at the very mention. They depict themselves as anti-Washington warriors defending Lone Star principles of self-reliance. They vow to battle provisions [...]
On Thursday, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, sat facing the two leaders of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and held up a sheet of paper showing how the state’s Medicaid expenditures have increased by nearly $37 billion since 1990. “To those of you who are out there who can’t see this, that’s the [...]
It’s been a bad, bad month for Obamacare. And that may be just what Texas needs. We’ve been at loggerheads with the feds since health reform was enacted four years ago, and the state is paying a price. Texas rejected billions in federal dollars to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income residents. And the governor did [...]
Expanding Medicaid may be anathema to Texas political leaders. For hospitals, though, it would be a godsend. Baylor University Medical Center lost $172.8 million on uncompensated care last year. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas reported uncompensated care of $86.5 million. Methodist Dallas Medical Center reported $154.7 million. And Parkland Health and Hospital System reported $1.488 [...]
Local government officials gathered en masse Tuesday to lay out a state legislative wish list that includes everything from Interstate 35 expansion to full-day pre-kindergarten. With two of the area’s state legislators listening, they called for action on uninsured patient costs and funding for public schools and colleges. The city of Waco convened the meeting [...]
A few years ago, Republican state policymakers in Texas created something called the Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency. Officials were already committed to rejecting every possible aspect of the Affordable Care Act, and undermining its implementation wherever possible, but Institute members were nevertheless tasked with looking for ways Texas could improve the state’s [...]