The Brief: June 25, 2014
The Tribune's Reeve Hamilton has dropped the first in a three-part series tackling the timely topic of lawmakers writing recommendations on behalf of applicants to the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/03/21/Chancellors012TT.jpg)
The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
The Tribune's Reeve Hamilton has dropped the first in a three-part series tackling the timely topic of lawmakers writing recommendations on behalf of applicants to the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
As the state's top elected officials debate how to halt a surge of immigrants across the border, health officials and volunteer doctors are voicing concerns over what they say is the more serious challenge: a looming medical crisis. Full Story
Unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America who cross into Texas are evaluated by the U.S. Border Patrol and placed temporarily at detention centers. This is a list of the Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters that operate in Texas. Full Story
Texas politicians from across the political spectrum are weighing in on the surge of unaccompanied minors crowding detention facilities. Full Story
On Monday, 15 years after a U.S. Supreme Court decision that paved the way for some people with disabilities to move out of institutions, advocates for Texans with disabilities called on state lawmakers to speed up that process. Full Story
The discovery of a mass grave in Brooks County containing unidentified immigrants already has a couple of state lawmakers calling for an investigation of what happened. Full Story
State authorities are supposed to maintain a bilingual, 24-hour hotline for workers to report safety violations. Officials acknowledged Friday that the hotline has been inoperative after hours. Full Story
Once again, the state's care for mental health patients is under legislative scrutiny, and county sheriffs and other local officials are hoping the state will fix a problem that has spilled into their domains. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry spent his lunch hour Thursday with a couple dozen reporters in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to turn the page on last week's controversial remarks on homosexuality and to once again stoke talk of a 2016 presidential run. Full Story
Texas ranks third-worst in the nation on quality of long-term care for elderly and disabled people, according to a new AARP report released Thursday. Full Story
Despite the fact that Texas didn't expand its Medicaid program to cover poor adults, low-income parents are increasingly obtaining the coverage through an unlikely route — the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Full Story
Texas' top leadership on Wednesday evening gave orders to boost spending at the Texas-Mexico border by $1.3 million a week through at least the end of the calendar year. Full Story
Texans who received financial assistance to purchase health coverage through the federal insurance exchange are paying less in monthly premiums than individuals in most other states using that online marketplace. Full Story
Touting a new program as the first in Texas to be directed at reducing preventable diseases, Texas A&M University officials on Tuesday announced their Healthy Texas Initiative, which will first launch with a focus on South Texas. Full Story
The value of a four-year college degree is becoming less apparent to Texans, according to the latest installment of the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
More doctors and medical facilities are working to reduce interactions between physicians and pharmaceutical representatives, and they have some support from the pharmaceutical industry. Full Story
Texans identify differently the most pressing issues facing the nation and the state, according to the most recent installment of the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
Could President Obama be so unpopular in Texas that he's making it difficult for Democratic candidates in the state, such as gubernatorial hopeful Wendy Davis? Full Story
After a state Senate committee hearing Thursday in which veterans and others talked about excessive wait times at VA clinics, lawmakers said a plan expanding the Texas Veterans Commission's "strike force" was moving forward. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday announced agreements with health facilities to provide care for veterans who cannot get timely care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, he’s seeking federal approval. Full Story