The latest federal health reform news from The Texas Tribune.
Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called the Medicaid expansion piece of federal health reform “fiscal coercion,” and blamed conservatives who have embraced it for folding "in the face of federal bribery and mounting pressure.” Full Story
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Ahead of his Thursday speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Gov. Rick Perry has sent a letter to members of Texas' congressional delegation asking them to fight for flexibility for the state's Medicaid program. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday gave his first formal speech on the Senate floor, urging his colleagues to support an amendment to defund federal health reform. Full Story
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As state legislators consider what “a Texas solution” to Medicaid expansion would look like, others have begun addressing the question of how Medicaid expansion would affect the state budget and local taxes. Full Story
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, the state's largest health insurance provider, is launching a campaign aimed at getting Texans enrolled in health plans through an online marketplace created by federal health reform. Full Story
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Debate is heating up at the Capitol over whether Texas Republicans should strike a deal with the Obama administration to expand Medicaid to poor, uninsured adults. Not sure where you stand? Take our interactive quiz to find out in six clicks or less. Full Story
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News that the federal government has negotiated with Arkansas to allow that state to use billions of dollars in Medicaid funds to buy private health insurance for the state's poorest residents has some Texas Republicans intrigued. Full Story
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Full video of Emily Ramshaw's 2/27 TribLive conversation about health care with state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown. Full Story
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At Wednesday's TribLive conversation, state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, told Emily Ramshaw they back Gov. Rick Perry's refusal to expand Medicaid. Full Story
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Medicaid in Texas should be expanded only after the program is tailored to Texas, reimbursement rates for providers are raised, and patients are responsible for co-pays and deductibles. Full Story
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Texas Medicaid is rife with problems and expanding it under the federal Affordable Care Act would just make things worse. The state should design its own health care model that would control costs and improve outcomes for patients. Full Story
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Grissom begins a gripping series on mental health and criminal justice, Hamilton and White on the Senate’s defense of UT-Austin, Murphy’s interactive look at public school test scores, Ramshaw finds the governor digging in on the Medicaid expansion, Rocha and Dehn visit a weapons maker with Ted Cruz, M. Smith explores another angle on unpopular standardized testing, Batheja on a car that drives right past state laws, Aguilar reports on the other immigration problem, Aaronson on a break in the race for a cancer cure: The best of our best for the week of February 18-22, 2012. Full Story
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If the pressure to expand Medicaid is getting to Gov. Rick Perry — now seven Republican governors, including his friend Rick Scott in Florida, support accepting federal dollars to cover poor adults — he’s not letting on. Full Story
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It's politically unpopular among most Texas Republicans, but proposals to expand Medicaid coverage have gained traction with some fiscal conservatives. This interactive shows the estimated economic impact of expanding Medicaid by legislative district. Full Story
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Expanding Medicaid now will bring federal dollars back to Texas, ease the health care burden on local taxpayers, and provide regular medical care for thousands of people who aren't insured now. Full Story
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Freshman state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, has been held up by some Republicans as a symbol of the party’s growing popularity with Hispanics. He says he is only motivated by the issues facing his constituents. Full Story
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At Wednesday's TribLive conversation, House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, held open the possibility of a compromise with the federal government on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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Outside of the Capitol, some momentum for Medicaid expansion is building with the state's two largest health care trade associations announcing their support for extending coverage to low-income adults. Full Story
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Health care advocates flocked to the Capitol on Thursday to urge the Senate Finance Committee to consider expanding Medicaid, restoring funding for family planning services and improving the state’s health care delivery system. Full Story
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Use our county-by-county interactive to track annual local spending on unreimbursed health care costs, and to see how those figures compare to the federal dollars counties would receive under the Medicaid expansion. Full Story
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