Tag Archives: health insurance

SCOTUS punts on birth control lawsuit

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Zubik v. Burwell was supposed to be an epic showdown over the power of religious objectors to limit the rights of others. A sequel to the Court’s 2014 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Zubik involved regulations expanding women’s access … Continue reading →

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Feds grant 15 month Medicaid waiver extension

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope they keep the pressure on to expand Medicaid during this time. The Obama administration has agreed to temporarily keep some federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients, a relief to health care … Continue reading →

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Two Medicaid stories

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: State health officials confirmed Tuesday they have asked the Obama administration to keep a 15-month lifeline of federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients. That money would offer temporary relief to health care providers who face losing … Continue reading →

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Weekend scandal news roundup

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If anything comes from the Texas Rangers investigation into his questionable expenditures, Ag Commissioner Sid Miller would be prosecuted in Travis County. If embattled Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is prosecuted for misusing government funds, his trial would be in … Continue reading →

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If we really cared about improving mental health in Texas

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We would have expanded Medicaid at our first opportunity. Federal health officials say people with mental illness and addictions are being left behind in Texas because the state hasn’t expanded Medicaid to more low-income adults. The health care program for … Continue reading →

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Once more with SCOTUS and birth control

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. In another major case concerning Texas women’s reproductive care, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider if the right to religious freedom is broad enough to completely exempt nonprofits with religious objections to birth control from … Continue reading →

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Why are some people more likely to smoke than others?

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the CDC: American adults who are uninsured or on Medicaid smoke at rates more than double those for adults with private health insurance or Medicare, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in … Continue reading →

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Steve Radack supports Medicaid expansion

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. When Harris County commissioners were asked this week by a member of the public to lower the property tax burden, Steve Radack had a response prepared: tell Austin to let millions of … Continue reading →

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Hey, how about another lawsuit against Obamacare?

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Six states filed a new lawsuit Wednesday against the Obama administration over the Affordable Care Act. The complaint that Texas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Indiana and Nebraska filed in the Northern District of Texas takes issue with the … Continue reading →

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More kids in Texas have health insurance now

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks, Obama! The number of uninsured children in Texas fell by almost 100,000 during the first year of full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, signalling a potential trend across all age groups, a new study by the Robert Wood … Continue reading →

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Yet another record year for Obamacare signups in Texas

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like a trend or something. A record 1.3 million Texans signed up for health coverage during the 2016 Affordable Care Act’s enrollment period, topping last year’s number by more than 100,000, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services … Continue reading →

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Fewer Texans having trouble paying medical bills than pre-Obamacare

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

What else can you say but “Thanks, Obama!” Fewer Texans say they have problems paying their medical bills in 2015 compared to 2013, according to a new report released by EHF and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The … Continue reading →

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Medicaid expansion: Still a good idea

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I know, right? Fewer low-income residents of Kentucky and Arkansas, two poor states that expanded Medicaid in 2014, reported problems paying medical bills after the coverage expansions, especially compared with residents of Texas, which has rejected the health law. And hospitals … Continue reading →

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One million plus Texas Obamacare enrollments

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It keeps going up. Just over one million Texans had signed up on the federal health insurance exchange as of last Saturday, signaling a steady drumbeat of interest and giving local advocates a chance for some celebration. “I will take … Continue reading →

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Health insurance exchange open enrollment, Year 3

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The challenge, in a nutshell. In rural Borden County, 12 people signed up for Obamacare this year. Livid over the government telling them they must buy something and loath to take anything that looks like a “handout,” the uninsured here … Continue reading →

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Yet another Obamacare lawsuit

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some things never get old. n Texas’ latest salvo against Obamacare, Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit over a fee states must help cover to pay for the sweeping federal health reform law. Texas joins Louisiana and Kansas in … Continue reading →

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2015 Texas Lyceum poll

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Issues first, election stuff to come. From the press release: The 2015 Texas Lyceum Poll Finds:  Immigration remains the most important issue facing the state and Texans support lawmakers’ increased spending on border security. Texans’ views on  gay marriage are changing. … Continue reading →

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We’re still #1!

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In uninsured people. For the first time in more than a decade, Texas’ uninsured rate dipped below 20 percent, analysts said [recently] following the release of U.S. Census data. Slightly more than 5 million Texans were uninsured in 2014 — … Continue reading →

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Harris Health wants more people to enroll in Obamacare

Posted on September 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Who can blame them? Harris County’s public health care agency, responding to a budget crisis, will eliminate more than 19,000 people next year from eligibility for free or nearly free services, hoping most of these patients will obtain coverage through … Continue reading →

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Texas Pulse Poll

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hey look! Someone polled Texas. A statewide poll of Texas likely voters finds that immigration and the economy are the top issues of concern for residents of the Lone Star State. The poll also found that Donald Trump and Hillary … Continue reading →

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Paxton files amicus brief in HBU contraception lawsuit

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Female employees of religious nonprofits should not be given insurance coverage for birth control if their employers object to certain contraceptives on religious grounds, according to a brief filed at the U.S. Supreme Court by Texas … Continue reading →

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The demography of the uninsured in Texas

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another look at those who have been helped by Obamacare in Texas, and those who would be helped if the state wasn’t actively resisting. The states’s uninsured continue to be most likely Hispanic, middle-aged, with low incomes and without a … Continue reading →

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Woodfill is still pursuing his anti-same-sex benefits lawsuit

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox and the febrile mind of Jared Woodfill: Last year Houston Judge Lisa Millard granted a temporary injunction and ordered Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the City of Houston to immediately stop recognizing same-sex ‘marriages’ and stop providing … Continue reading →

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We wouldn’t be having these problems if we had just expanded Medicaid

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The chickens, they are roosting. Hospitals that serve large uninsured populations in Texas stand to lose critical funding if the state can’t convince the federal government to continue helping with the cost, doctors and health advocates told the state health … Continue reading →

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HBU appeals contraceptive case to SCOTUS

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Houston Baptist University on Wednesday turned to the U.S. Supreme Court in its battle to avoid providing employees with forms of contraception it finds morally objectionable. The appeal of a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling … Continue reading →

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On to the benefits

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now that same sex marriage is the law of the land, Texas employers need to make sure that the spousal benefits they offer apply to all spouses. “If an employer provides benefits to anyone who is currently married, they must … Continue reading →

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HBU contraceptive coverage decision overturned

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has turned back a challenge brought by several Texas religious organizations that oppose offering insurance contraceptive coverage to their employees, concluding that the plaintiffs have no right to challenge the … Continue reading →

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Ambulances and ERs

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting story about the overuse of ambulances in Houston and how the city is trying to deal with it. But in truth little works in a system that has been broken for years. Over the past generation, patients began … Continue reading →

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Abbott would like to restore the uninsured rate

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what he does. Greg Abbott on Monday urged his fellow Republicans not to “rescue” President Barack Obama’s signature health care law if it is torpedoed by the U.S. Supreme Court, an unusually public stance that could make the first-term … Continue reading →

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Lots of people will lose insurance if SCOTUS takes it away from them

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. With a U.S. Supreme Court decision looming this month on a point of law that could dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a series of new reports offer a grim glimpse at the toll on Texas should the … Continue reading →

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House chubfest kills several bad bills

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news, though as always at the end of a session, the outcome isn’t clean and the details are very murky. As the clock struck midnight, the failure of an anti-abortion initiative — dear to the hearts of the … Continue reading →

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There’s still time for bad bills to be passed

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bad bill #1: After four hours of debate and more than a dozen failed amendments offered by Democrats, the Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to far-reaching restrictions on minors seeking abortions in Texas without parental consent. On a 21-10 … Continue reading →

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Texas’ uninsured rate drops dramatically

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Amazing what can happen when a government actually tries to solve a problem, isn’t it? The rate of Texans without health insurance has fallen 8 percentage points since enrollment in the federal Affordable Care Act began, according to a new … Continue reading →

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Texans like having health insurance

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew? A first-of-its-kind survey asking Texans if health insurance is necessary found an overwhelming majority believe having coverage is critical for them and their families, with 50 percent calling it “absolutely essential.” The Texas Medical Center commissioned Nielsen to … Continue reading →

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