The latest federal health reform news from The Texas Tribune.
We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Health & Human Services track, which includes panels on the Affordable Care Act, family planning, stem cell policy and the upcoming legislative session. Full Story
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Texas has more uninsured people than any other state in the nation. But state demographers say that if Texas implemented federal reforms, the number of uninsured here would be halved by 2014. Full Story
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Birth control is now covered under all employers' health plans, but on Friday, Texas renewed its effort to revoke that rule. Full Story
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More than a quarter of all Texans younger than 65 were uninsured in 2010, the highest rate in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This interactive map shows the percent of Texans in each county who lacked health insurance. Full Story
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Nearly a third of Texans are obese. Limited access to healthy food options is part of the problem, particularly in low-income communities. This map shows the percentage of food retailers that offer healthy options by census tract, as calculated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Full Story
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The state's sweeping Medicaid fraud investigation into dentists and orthodontists accused of giving unnecessary treatments to poor children has left Texas attorneys with more questions than answers. Who's responsible? Full Story
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The Affordable Care Act requires states to maintain eligibility requirements for Medicaid and CHIP through 2019. But Gov. Rick Perry and the Republican Governors Association oppose the provision, and some families in Texas fear children's health care could be in jeopardy. Full Story
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This interactive breaks down Medicaid dental program data as the system poses challenges for lawmakers, dental providers and the children they serve. Full Story
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State officials, dentists and other providers met Friday on how to treat orthodontic transfer patients, why some corporate clinics are allowed to use gift cards and pizza to lure new patients and other technicalities related to the transition to Medicaid managed care. Full Story
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While Texas works to fix a system that allowed dental clinics to charge the state millions in questionable Medicaid bills, dental providers say impoverished Texas children are being left in a lurch. Full Story
Thanks to a new rule in the federal Affordable Care Act, insured Texans could receive nearly $167 million in rebates from their health insurance companies this month. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold federal health reform — but to make the Medicaid expansion it requires essentially optional — has created, in the words of Donald Rumsfeld, a lot of “known unknowns” for Texas. Full Story
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Use our interactive map to chart the locations of health care providers participating in Texas' Women's Health Program. Flip through various map styles to compare women's health statistics statewide, or get a video tutorial here. Full Story
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From the evolution of state and federally subsidized contraception to the battle over Planned Parenthood to the cost of unplanned pregnancies, this six-part series is the most comprehensive look yet at the politics of reproductive health in Texas. Full Story
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Though Texas will not expand its Medicaid program, the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act will put a strain on the state’s finances and health care system, Billy Millwee, the state's outgoing Medicaid chief, said Thursday. Full Story
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The U.S. House's vote on Wednesday to repeal federal health care reform was largely symbolic. But the political equation could change after November, and some Texas employers are holding off on preparing for the law. Full Story
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The AARP president on what entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security offer and what his organization will be examining after Gov. Rick Perry's announcement that Texas would not accept expanded Medicaid. Full Story
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Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett weighs in on the House's largley symbolic vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature legislation. The measure is unlikely to pass the Senate, and even then, would be vetoed by the president. Video from the Medill News Service in Washington, D.C., the Tribune's content partner. Full Story
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In new television ads released Tuesday, Ted Cruz targets GOP U.S. Senate runoff rival David Dewhurst, while Dewhurst targets President Obama. Full Story
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As enrollment in Medicaid grows in Texas, fewer physicians are agreeing to treat Medicaid patients. This map compares enrollment in the program by county to the number of physicians who provided Medicaid services in fiscal year 2011. Full Story
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