Past Contributions

• Number of Texans hospitalized with coronavirus hits all-time high as experts say cases are likely to continue increasing

  By Shannon Najmabadi Updated: June 10, 2020

  The figures come a little more than a month since Gov. Greg Abbott's stay-at-home order expired and about two weeks after Memorial Day. Full Story 

• Texas has spent more than $200 million on personal protective equipment orders to combat coronavirus

  By Shannon Najmabadi Updated: June 9, 2020

  The state has issued purchase orders totaling $1.1 billion for protective equipment, but orders for $638 million worth of items have been canceled. Full Story 

• As coronavirus hits Texas, the state's top health official is spending 30 hours a week on a second job — that pays $600,000

  By Shannon Najmabadi June 2, 2020

  Acting Executive Commissioner Phil Wilson chose not to accept salary and benefits for a temporary position leading one of Texas’ largest and most high-profile agencies. Instead, he continues to earn $636,694 from the Lower Colorado River Authority, more than double what the previous health commissioner made. Full Story 

• Texas Southern University gave $2 million in aid to unqualified students, review finds

  By Shannon Najmabadi Updated: May 28, 2020

  A new review sheds more light on an admissions scandal that has plagued the Houston school since November and led to the ouster of former President Austin Lane. Full Story 

• Some Texas hospitals continued to sue patients for unpaid medical bills during the coronavirus pandemic

  By Shannon Najmabadi May 27, 2020

  Hundreds of debt collection lawsuits have been filed since Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster because of COVID-19 in mid-March, according to the Health Care Research and Policy Team at Johns Hopkins University. Full Story 

• They lost their jobs and insurance in the pandemic. Now they’re slipping through Texas’ health care safety net.

  By Shannon Najmabadi and Edgar Walters May 22, 2020

  Texas had the highest uninsured rate of any state before the outbreak. It's also among a minority of states that have declined to expand Medicaid coverage to people with incomes near or below the poverty line. Full Story 

• Coronavirus tests are supposed to be free. Some Texans are still being saddled with large bills.

  By Shannon Najmabadi May 13, 2020

  Congress directed most insurance companies to cover test costs for insured patients in March, and has promised to reimburse providers for testing those who are uninsured. But experts say there are gaps in the protection that can leave patients surprised with bills. Full Story 

• Health care workers are living in treehouses, RVs and hotels to protect their families from coronavirus

  By Shannon Najmabadi May 5, 2020

  To avoid accidentally sickening medically fragile children or elderly parents with the new coronavirus, some health care workers are aggressively disinfecting their clothes and homes or trying to isolate themselves. The efforts can take a mental toll. Full Story 

• Texas' front-line workers in the pandemic are predominantly women and people of color, analysis finds

  By Shannon Najmabadi May 1, 2020

  Sixty-two percent of front-line workers in the 11 Texas cities with the the largest populations of front-line workers are women, compared with 48% of all workers there, the analysis shows. Full Story 

• Rural Texas has struggled to get testing compared with big cities, but mobile testing sites could help

  By Shannon Najmabadi April 25, 2020

  Smaller communities have also struggled to get tests because they were not prioritized by the government or are too cash-strapped to buy them from the private sector, which runs the majority of tests in Texas. Full Story