The latest Health And Human Services Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
When the Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked the federal government for $18 million to foot most of the bill for new Medicaid fraud tracking software, it assured Washington counterparts the deal had been competitively bid. That was not true. Full Story
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Emblems of Jack Stick’s days as the state health agency's deputy inspector general remain: roughly 300 high-dollar badges he designed and ordered for his investigators at a cost to taxpayers of $36,000. Full Story
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After a few failed legislative attempts, Republican lawmakers are once again working to make drug testing mandatory for some Texans who receive state welfare benefits. Full Story
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At the Senate Health and Human Services Committee's first meeting of the legislative session, Chairman Charles Schwertner shared some tough criticism of the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General. Full Story
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Government misadventures, like the current contracting scandals in Texas, don't make voters happy. But they don't necessarily hurt the people in office — especially when it's easy to hang the blame on the officeholders they replaced. Full Story
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Twelve years after a major mash-up of state health agencies, the Sunset Commission and several lawmakers say it's time to finish the job and merge the remaining five systems into one. Some veteran Capitol observers say they're feeling déjà vu. Full Story
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A now-canceled deal between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and a software maker is the subject of scrutiny and is also causing greater talk of state contract reforms. Here's a look back at the deal and what led to the current investigations. Full Story
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Texas's tendency to privatize state services has led to contracting scandals erupting regularly. But a history of cost overruns or bad performance hardly bars a company from winning future jobs. Full Story
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When it comes to contracting, state agencies struggle with shopping for a vendor and monitoring that vendor's performance, the Texas state auditor's office says in a new report. Full Story
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Texas can rebel against Obamacare and Medicaid expansion all it wants, but enrollment in the state's insurance program for the poor is growing, and the federal government will be paying for less of it. An additional $1.3 billion might be needed just to maintain the status quo. Full Story
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Following a controversial no-bid deal at the Health and Human Services Commission, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, filed a bill on Monday that seeks to strengthen oversight of state contracting. Full Story
Speaking Thursday at the Texas Hospital Association conference in Austin, potential GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said it was a “mistake to talk about repealing” the Affordable Care Act without offering an alternative. Full Story
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Texas hospitals want legislators to find a way for the state to draw down billions in federal Affordable Care Act dollars to cover the uninsured and alleviate the burden on local taxpayers. This is the third video in our State of Mind series. Full Story
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In one of his first moves as governor, Greg Abbott has tapped Stuart Bowen Jr., the special inspector general who oversaw the reconstruction of Iraq, to be the chief watchdog at the state's embattled health agency. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov.-elect Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the creation of an independent "strike force" to review the state's largest health agency, specifically how it awards contracts to private vendors. Full Story
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With the 84th Legislature starting next week and new faces in every statewide office, it feels like a "Brand New Day" in and around the Capitol, so that's how we started this week's playlist off of the week's news. Full Story
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The best of our best content from Jan. 5 to 9, 2015. Full Story
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The embattled agency on Friday promised reforms, after confirming a Tribune finding that an employee with ties to Commissioner Kyle Janek and ousted chief counsel Jack Stick has been pursuing his MBA at taxpayers' expense. Full Story
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One of three Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees put on paid administrative leave amid a probe into the agency’s contracting procedures is facing a 50 percent cut to his salary. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has championed private-market health care solutions and criticized public programs like Medicaid for being inefficient. Alexa Ura and Edgar Walters write about that and other notable health care issues that have come up during Perry's tenure. Full Story
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