The latest Medicaid news from The Texas Tribune.
Amid what some call an eye care crisis, Texas optometrists are hoping the Legislature will give them more power to help patients without needing other doctors. But ophthalmologists say allowing optometrists more power would put patients' vision at risk. Full Story
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Chris Traylor's new position comes after joining the federal government in July as deputy administrator for strategic initiatives at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Full Story
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More and more states have decided to expand Medicaid, but Texas has not budged. With more than a half million Texans in the so-called health coverage gap, will the politics of the issue shift in next year's legislative session? Full Story
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In a report released Friday, the House Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse wrote that Texas "must remain vigilant" when it comes to ongoing issues around addiction and drug abuse. Full Story
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The state’s Drug Utilization Review Board is taking public comment on whether to expand Medicaid’s preferred drug list to include medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction besides Suboxone. Full Story
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Poland and Texas have comparable populations, conservative governments and stringent anti-abortion policies. But they differ significantly in how health care is delivered for women — and in the role they allow midwives to play in the childbirth process. Full Story
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Dozens of people — including children and adults in wheelchairs, parents, insurance executives, state agency officials and representatives of advocacy groups — packed the room for the latest hearing in the aftermath of a Dallas Morning News investigation into Medicaid managed care companies. Full Story
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The decision comes years after the state found that Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership, a subsidiary of Xerox, allowed workers with limited expertise to approve dental claims for the state's Medicaid program. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Emma and The Dallas Morning News' Dave McSwane about the separation of immigrant families on the Texas-Mexico border and McSwane's Pain and Profit series about misdeeds in the state's Medicaid managed care program. Full Story
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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Office of the Inspector General is investigating how a former agency employee was mailed a box full of private client information. Full Story
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With a Republican in the White House, top Texas leaders have reached an agreement with the federal government to keep Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients. Full Story
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A group of parents is asking the state to test all babies for spinal muscular atrophy, the most common genetic cause of infant death. They hope that a treatment newly approved by the FDA will bolster their cause. Full Story
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During the opening keynote session of the Texas Tribune Festival, U.S. Sen. Al Franken talked about the latest GOP proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act and whether there's room for bipartisanship in Washington. Full Story
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More Texans are insured now than four years ago — but the state is still home to 4.5 million people without health coverage, the largest share in the country. Full Story
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Therapists who work with disabled children in their homes saw a glimmer of hope this year, when Texas lawmakers decided to restore some of the funds they cut for such services in 2015. It was short-lived. Full Story
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The number of comments to a federal agency considering Texas' request to renew funding for its women's health program has surged this week as advocates on both sides weigh in. Full Story
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The Texas House gave tentative and unanimous approval Thursday to a measure that would partially reverse a controversial cut to disabled children’s therapy services that was ordered by the 2015 Legislature. Full Story
As Republicans debate health care reform, there is one issue on the mind of many Texas families: Medicaid reform. Full Story
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Did the Texas Legislature boost funding for border security? What about public education? Did they dip into the Rainy Day Fund? Here’s a wide-angle look at what's in the $217 billion budget the two chambers ultimately settled on. Full Story
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The House grudgingly voted to accept the Senate's supplemental budget proposal, which would not restore funding for disabled children's therapy services. Full Story
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