The latest Health And Human Services Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
With elective procedures canceled, hospitals are reassigning staff. But even the best-laid plans may go awry if clinicians fall ill in large numbers. Full Story
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State health and education officials will join Abbott at 2 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday for an update on efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Full Story
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"This decision is necessary to ensure the contract award processes are conducted with integrity, fairness and transparency," a spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission said. Full Story
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“We are perpetually at risk,” said Shelby Chiles of Lewisville, who has a rare autoimmune disease. Full Story
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Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
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More than half a dozen health plans are appealing the contract decisions for STAR+PLUS, the state's privatized insurance program for elderly, blind and disabled Texans. Full Story
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Watch Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, the state’s health commissioner, talk about some of the challenges for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Phillips' speech is part of a Tribune series on the next 10 years of Texas. Full Story
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Watch Mini Kahlon, the vice dean of the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School, talk about an opportunity for radical change when it comes to health care. Kahlon's speech is part of a Tribune series on the next 10 years of Texas. Full Story
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The Houston region’s Community Health Choice and San Antonio’s Community First Health plans are suing the state, saying the law promises them a piece of roughly $10 billion in Medicaid contracts. Full Story
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The Texas Pregnancy Care Network, the largest recipient of funding under the state's controversial Alternatives to Abortion program, is poised to receive millions more under the proposal. Full Story
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Supporters say the measure would prevent women from regretting an abortion after they have the procedure. But abortion rights advocates fear the bill lacks key protections, like a requirement for the counselor to be a licensed medical professional. Full Story
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Most states check once a year whether children on Medicaid still qualify for the program. Texas checks more often, using an automated system that critics say leads to kids losing coverage even though they're still eligible. Full Story
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As of July 18, Texas’ 35 state-licensed shelters had permission to accommodate up to 6,286 children, according to the state health commission. With 4,937 kids living in them, that means they’re at 78% capacity. Full Story
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The backlog — exacerbated by the state's switch in January to a new computer system for processing records — comes as the short-staffed Texas Department of State Health Services vies for a boost in funding. Meanwhile, families anxiously wait. Full Story
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A federal program known as the 1115 waiver helps pay for the costs of providing health care to the uninsured. Advocates want the Texas Legislature to order a renegotiation of the waiver, which partially expires in 2021. Full Story
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The Texas Department of State Health Services says 186 people, including immigrants and detention center employees, were confirmed with cases of mumps since October. Full Story
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Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah voters approved Medicaid expansion through ballot initiatives. Now Texas legislators have filed bills for a vote over whether the state should expand coverage for the joint federal-state health insurance program. Full Story
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Amid uncertainty about the federal health law, state legislators will tackle a variety of issues during the session, from abortion to mental health to opioids to funding for Medicaid. Full Story
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Advocates for state workers are calling for increased pay after a State Auditor’s Office report released in December found that agency turnover was at 19.3 percent in the 2018 budget year. The top reasons employees said they left were retirement, better pay and benefits and poor working conditions. Full Story
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Chris Traylor's new position comes after joining the federal government in July as deputy administrator for strategic initiatives at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Full Story
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