With Planned Parenthood Cleared, Lawmakers to Mull Fetal Tissue Laws
Texas lawmakers will meet Thursday to examine policies on how human fetal tissue can be used for scientific research. Full Story
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Edgar Walters
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Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
Past Contributions
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![The inside of the Texas Capitol Building on March 29, 2016.]()
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Chris Traylor, Head of Massive Texas Health Commission, Announces Retirement
Chris Traylor, the head of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, has confirmed he will retire from the agency at the end of next month, ending a 26-year career in public service. Full Story
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Texas Health Commissioner Reportedly Retiring
Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor plans to retire at the end of May after 11 months on the job, according to sources briefed on the decision. Full Story
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Court Tosses Lawsuit Over Medicaid Cuts to Therapy Services
A Texas appeals court delivered a big loss on Thursday to a group of home health agencies and parents of children with disabilities who sued the state over payment cuts to in-home therapy providers. Full Story
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Lawmakers Hear Litany of Foster Care Woes
The state’s child welfare agency faces a $40 million budget shortfall, a critical shortage of good homes for foster children and overwhelming caseloads for staff, agency leaders told state lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday. Full Story
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![DFPS Commissioner John Specia appears before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee at the Texas Capitol on April 20, 2016.]()
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Texas Asks Feds for Short-Term Medicaid Funds
State health officials confirmed Tuesday they have asked the Obama administration to keep a 15-month lifeline of federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients. Full Story
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UnitedHealthcare Drops Obamacare Plans in Texas
UnitedHealthcare, a major health insurer, will no longer sell insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Texas next year, according to a letter filed with state regulators. Full Story
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Texas Seeks Court Permission to Cut Therapy Budget
Texas should be allowed to move forward with cutting payments to therapy providers who serve children with disabilities, a lawyer for the state argued in appeals court Wednesday. Full Story
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Budget Cuts for Therapy Won't Harm Kids, Judge Told
In-home therapy providers say they would be put out of business by deep budget cuts to a program for children with disabilities, but the chorus of voices disputing those claims grew a little louder on Tuesday. Full Story
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Abbott Names New Leaders at Embattled Child Welfare Agency
At a time of heightened public scrutiny of Texas’ embattled child welfare agency, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed new leadership of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by The Texas Tribune
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