Health And Human Services Commission

Video: Abortion Opponents React to Komen Reversal

By Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan Feb. 3, 2012

Abortion opponents say they're disappointed by Susan G. Komen for the Cure's decision to reverse its policy of prohibiting grants to Planned Parenthood. Full Story
Legislators: Komen Decision Could Affect '13 Session

By Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan Feb. 3, 2012

Legislators and abortion opponents cheered the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's original decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. Full Story
Updated: Komen, Planned Parenthood CEOs Speak Out in TV Interviews

By Thanh Tan Feb. 2, 2012

Susan G. Komen for the Cure CEO Nancy Brinker and Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards — both native Texans — are speaking out about the breakup of two of the nation's most iconic women’s health organizations. Full Story
Abuse Reports Spur Questioning of State Hospital System

By Ben Philpott, KUT News Jan. 25, 2012

The revelation last year that the Texas state hospital system employed three doctors with a documented history of inappropriate behavior has lawmakers again investigating alleged abuse within the system. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story

Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Evan Smith Jan. 21, 2012

Root on the end of Rick Perry's presidential campaign, Murphy on what happens to his campaign cash, Ramsey on his next act, Ramshaw, Aaronson, Murphy, Chang and Seger interactively chart the rise and fall of his run, Aguilar talks Juárez violence with a documentary filmmaker, Galbraith on the tug-of-war over surface water, Grissom and Murphy on three decades of capital punishment in Texas, Hamilton and Aaronson on our workforce needs in 2018 and Tan on the state's much-reduced list of women's health clinics: The best of our best content from January 16-20, 2012. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Lawmakers, Hospital Administrators Revisit Texas Medicaid Waiver

By Anna Whitney Jan. 17, 2012

Texas lawmakers and hospital administrators took a hard look Tuesday at the state Medicaid waiver recently OK'd by the Obama administration. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Interactive: Mental Health Shortage More Critical in Minority Communities

By Justin Dehn, Ryan Murphy and Thanh Tan Dec. 22, 2011

In Texas, where mental health professionals are already hard to come by, another issue has exacerbated the situation in the state's growing minority populations: finding treatment providers who understand the communities' cultural and language differences. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Justin Dehn / Ryan Murphy
Move to Managed Care Comes With Strings Attached

By Carrie Feibel, Houston Public Media Dec. 15, 2011

The federal government has granted Texas permission to move almost all of its Medicaid patients into managed care in an effort to save money. But as Carrie Feibel of KUHF News reports, hospitals will now have to do more to show how they spend — and prove they deserve — state money. Full Story
Video: Texas' Critical Shortage of Psychiatrists

By Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan Dec. 15, 2011

The Tribune's Thanh Tan speaks with a Texan living with anxiety and depression, the executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at UT-Austin, and the head psychiatrist for Austin Travis County Integral Care to find out the reasons behind the state's shortage of mental health providers. Full Story
Was Federal Ruling a Win or a Loss for Family Planning Providers?

By Thanh Tan Dec. 14, 2011

The federal government's rejection this week of a state request to exclude certain providers — namely Planned Parenthood — from the Women's Health Program came as a victory to some family planning advocates, and a travesty to others. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Feds Approve One Health Waiver, Reject Another

By Emily Ramshaw Dec. 12, 2011

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has turned down Texas’ request to run a family planning program that excludes some providers — namely Planned Parenthood. But it approved Texas' request for a waiver to expand Medicaid managed care. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Looming Medicaid Payment Cuts Worry Therapy Providers

By Jessica Mahoney Dec. 12, 2011

Some cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates will take effect on Jan. 1, putting Texas’ Medicaid spending on par with that of many other states. But as Jessica Mahoney of KUT News reports, providers of physical, occupational and speech therapy worry many could be left without services. Full Story

Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune
Updated Interactive: Food Stamp Distribution Map

By Becca Aaronson Dec. 6, 2011

Fewer Texans will receive food stamps in December than in November, but the number is still up overall since 2005 as the national recession continues. Our updated interactive map allows you to explore the number of food stamp recipients in your county and the economic impact of the program. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Becca Aaronson / Todd Wiseman
Number of Texans on Food Stamps Up Sharply Amid Recession

By Becca Aaronson Nov. 15, 2011

The number of Texans receiving food aid has increased by nearly 1.4 million in the last four years. Use this interactive to see the percentage of each county's population that receives food assistance and the economic impact of the federal funds. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Becca Aaronson
Video: Planned Parenthood Clinics Close In Hidalgo County

By Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan Oct. 16, 2011

The state's family planning reductions hit the Planned Parenthood Association of Hidalgo County especially hard. In September, the association shut down four of its eight health clinics and laid off half of its staff. Anti-abortion advocates argue the state should not "subsidize the abortion industry." The Trib's Thanh Tan and Justin Dehn report from Hidalgo County. Full Story
As Costs Rise, Texas Doctors Experiment With Care, Payment Models

By Emily Ramshaw Oct. 7, 2011

As the U.S. grapples with rising health care costs and a system that rewards doctors and hospitals for how sick their patients get, not how healthy they become, Texas providers are experimenting with new payment and care delivery models. Full Story

Credit: Michael Stravato
Perry Reviles Mandatory Insurance, but Texas Faces Crisis in Coverage

By Emily Ramshaw, Ryan Murphy and Thanh Tan Sept. 30, 2011

Gov. Rick Perry vehemently opposes forcing Americans to carry health insurance — yet his home state leads the nation in the size of its uninsured population and ranks near the bottom on almost every measure of coverage. Full Story

Credit: Callie Richmond
Liveblog: Health and Human Services at The Texas Tribune Festival

By Emily Ramshaw, Becca Aaronson and Thanh Tan Sept. 24, 2011

We'll be liveblogging throughout the weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's health and human services track — which includes panels on the fight over federal health reform, whether Texas can cure cancer and what effect tort reform has had statewide. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Ben Hasson
Grant Seeks to Reduce Restraints in Treatment Centers

By Claire Cardona Sept. 20, 2011

Responding to cases of abuse and even death in Texas' residential treatment centers, a mental health organization is funding a program to better train direct-care workers. Full Story

Credit: Nick de la Torre / The Houston Chronicle
31 Days, 31 Ways: Budget Cuts Final Straw for Air Ambulance

By Emily Ramshaw Aug. 5, 2011

DAY 5 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: The Rio Grande Valley’s longest-running helicopter ambulance will be permanently grounded this fall — and state budget cuts were the final straw. Full Story

Credit: South Texas Emergency Care Foundation