The latest federal health reform news from The Texas Tribune.
Attorney General Greg Abbott said Thursday he would never give up the fight against Obamacare, but the gubernatorial candidate declined to embrace a temporary shut-down of the federal government promoted by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Full Story
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The federal government is open to expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act in a way that is “uniquely Texan,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday in Austin. Full Story
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Though Texas will join 26 other states in defaulting to a federal marketplace for purchasing health insurance, it is one of only six that will not enforce new health insurance reforms prescribed by the law. Full Story
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The left-leaning Center for American Progress lists 22 Texas counties among the 30 in the nation that are most likely to benefit from the Affordable Care Act. But the federal health law's critics question how effective the reform will be. Full Story
Despite resistance from congressional Republican leadership, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is calling on grass-roots organizers to help in his fight to defund the federal Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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The Affordable Care Act's new rules for determining Medicaid eligibility has officials at the Health and Human Services Commission worried about an increased burden in processing applications. Full Story
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The federal government issued a temporary moratorium on Friday to halt enrollment of ambulance service providers in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program to combat fraud in the Houston area. Full Story
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With major components of the Affordable Care Act set to take effect in the coming months, Texas' U.S. senators have remained vocal in their calls to defund or dismantle the law. Full Story
Private organizations are working to educate Texans about coverage options through the federal health insurance exchange, a component of the federal Affordable Care Act that opens on Oct. 1. Full Story
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Texas is not expanding Medicaid eligibility, but enrollment in the program is still expected to climb under new rules created by the federal Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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Texans and, in particular, the state’s Hispanics are in the dark on the new health care law because outreach efforts are focusing on states that have partnered with the Obama administration to roll it out, federal officials say. Full Story
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The House on Thursday knocked down a nonbinding motion to instruct conferees to keep an “anti-Medicaid expansion” amendment when they meet with Senate members to work out the final language of Senate Bill 7. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, talked about the Legislature's resistance to expanding Medicaid. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Rick Perry met with three health care activists who helped organize a protest of his speech before Austin business leaders Wednesday. Both sides said the meeting was cordial, though there were no breakthroughs. Full Story
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UPDATED: Budget negotiations stretched late into the evening on Wednesday, but lawmakers said privately they didn’t expect to announce a deal until Thursday. Full Story
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Last week Houston physician Steve Hotze, a major Republican campaign donor, announced he was suing the federal government over the Affordable Care Act. This week, he's singing a similar tune — literally. Full Story
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In the waning days of budget negotiations, medical providers are pushing lawmakers to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates that were chopped two years ago. Full Story
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State Rep. John Zerwas, a budget conferee, said Monday he’s relatively confident that a rider stipulating the Legislature's preferred Medicaid reform terms for any deal with the federal government would stick to the 2014-15 budget. Full Story
UPDATED: With the prospect of Medicaid expansion on life support, protesters gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday to urge state leadership to expand coverage to poor adults, and state Democrats announced that they’re still searching for a legislative vehicle to expand coverage. Full Story
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UPDATED: The Supreme Court’s ruling that penalties under the Affordable Care Act qualify as taxes has opened the door to another constitutional challenge, Houston physician and Republican donor Steve Hotze said Tuesday. And he's filing suit. Full Story