Tag Archives: HHSC

Texas takes another shot at Planned Parenthood

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They have a cheat code available, so they use it. For more than a decade, the state has been trying and failing to chase Planned Parenthood out of Texas. Texas restricted and then banned abortion. The state removed Planned Parenthood … Continue reading →

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The 988 hotline has been very busy lately

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t suppose this is a surprise. Calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline have surged in Texas and the U.S. since its launch last summer, highlighting the demand for mental health services in the wake of the pandemic … Continue reading →

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The empty “mental health” promise

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What’s going on in Uvalde these days. Days after the May 24 shooting, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised an “abundance of mental health services” to help “anyone in the community who needs it … the totality of anyone who lives … Continue reading →

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Medicaid and the “heartbeat” law

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Texas’ new abortion ban makes no exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. Nearly a month after it was enacted, state health officials still won’t say whether that includes Texans on Medicaid, a small but critical … Continue reading →

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Trying again to get SCOTUS to stop SB8

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. A coalition of Texas abortion providers went back to the Supreme Court Thursday, asking the justices to expedite a review of the state law that bars abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law has been in effect … Continue reading →

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Readin’ and writin’ and gettin’ COVID

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome back to school, kids. Positive COVID-19 cases among Texas public school students rose by more than 9,000 last week, the highest number ever recorded in a seven-day period, state data shows. As of Aug. 22, there were 14,033 reports … Continue reading →

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The nursing home vaccination mandate

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This just seems obvious to me. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he is directing all nursing homes to require their staff be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden said he is directing the Department … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against “heartbeat” abortion law

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, I’d say this has an excellent chance of success, given that all previous litigation over such bans have been wins for the plaintiffs. But we are in uncharted territory here. Two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law … Continue reading →

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Kids still get COVID, too

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And they need to get vaccinated if at all possible. Since the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to15 year olds on May 10, more than 300,000 Texas adolescents and teenagers have received at least … Continue reading →

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How about we sue you for a change?

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas has sued the federal government more times than I can count in recent years. There may be examples of the reverse happening, but offhand I can’t think of any. As such, this may be a first. … Continue reading →

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Reopening roundup redux

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More news about that thing that Greg Abbott is making us do. Health experts give Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas mixed reviews, warn state should revive stay-at-home order if surge emerges: Diana Cervantes, director of the epidemiology program at the … Continue reading →

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Statewide restrictions on public gatherings

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday took sweeping action to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus across Texas, issuing an executive order that will close restaurants and schools, among other things. During a news conference at the … Continue reading →

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The robot nurse

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are living in the future, for better and for worse. https://www.instagram.com/p/B01H56Fn8_0/ A friendly one-armed, bright-eyed robot is roving the hallways of Medical City Dallas’ Heart and Spine hospitals, helping nurses with routine tasks that previously took time away from … Continue reading →

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Let this finally be the end of the Heidi Group’s grift

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And you should all be thoroughly appalled at the waste, fraud, and abuse committed in the name of screwing Planned Parenthood. An anti-abortion group that came under fire for failing to provide services to thousands of Texas women must repay … Continue reading →

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“I’m haunted by their eyes”

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We should all be haunted, and outraged, by this. Immigrants held in a McAllen-area U.S. Customs and Border Patrol processing center for migrants — the largest such center in America — are living in overcrowded spaces and sometimes are forced … Continue reading →

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Another dive into the Heidi Group grift

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer is on it this time, and as before if you’re not mad by the time you’ve finished reading you’re doing it wrong. The state of Texas has poured hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars into [Carol] Everett’s clinic, … Continue reading →

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The Heidi Group grift

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not mad enough right now. Read this, that’s fix it. On a Monday evening in May 2016, Carol Everett sent an email to fellow anti-abortion activists detailing “an extraordinary pro-life opportunity.” Her nonprofit, the Heidi Group, she said, had … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit does it again

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another terrible ruling by a terrible judge on a terrible court. A federal appeals court has lifted a lower court order that blocked Texas from booting Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid, potentially imperiling the health care provider’s participation in the … Continue reading →

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Planning to fail

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big surprise. Anti-abortion activist Carol Everett had no experience running a family planning program when the state of Texas awarded her millions in taxpayer funds to help rebuild a network of low-income women’s health providers. The state knew that. So … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” law tossed

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Very good. U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra struck down a Texas law on Wednesday that would have required hospitals and clinics to bury cremate fetal remains, causing another courtroom setback for state leaders and anti-abortion groups. Under Senate Bill … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” trial ends

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait for a ruling. State and reproductive rights attorneys wrapped up a five-day trial in federal court on Friday that will determine whether a Texas law requiring health providers to cremate or bury fetal remains can go into … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” lawsuit trial underway

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. State and reproductive rights attorneys are going head to head again in federal court on Monday to argue whether Texas should require health providers to cremate or bury fetal remains. “It’s a tough case for everybody,” U.S. … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” law blocked in court

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s deja vu all over again. Texas’ second attempt to require health providers to bury or cremate fetal remains has been temporarily thwarted by a federal judge and another court battle is imminent. In his Monday afternoon ruling, U.S. District … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, CHIP is still running out

Posted on December 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Nearly 400,000 Texas children could lose healthcare coverage in late January unless Congress renews funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a decades-old federal program that provides health care to millions of children across the … Continue reading →

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By the way, CHIP is still running out

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just in case you were wondering. Advocates say Texas will run out of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program sooner than they thought. The program, which Congress failed to reauthorize last month, covers nearly 400,000 children from working-class families … Continue reading →

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Now is not a good time for HHSC to be dysfunctional

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And yet here we are. Under Charles Smith, the longtime ally of Gov. Greg Abbott picked to lead the state’s Health and Human Services Commission, Texas’ government health care infrastructure is hemorrhaging veteran employees and facing criticism for its response … Continue reading →

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State seeks Medicaid money it gave up over Planned Parenthood ban

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Four years after Texas gave up millions of dollars in federal Medicaid funds so it could ban Planned Parenthood from participating in a family planning program for low-income women, the state is asking the Trump administration for the money … Continue reading →

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This is why you leave women’s health to the professionals

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because amateurs and zealots do a lousy job. In pushing a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that cuts off funds for Planned Parenthood, Republicans are out to reassure women who rely on the major health care organization that other … Continue reading →

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Texas cannot bar Planned Parenthood from Medicaid

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ruled Tuesday afternoon that Texas clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood can continue to care for patients under the state’s Medicaid program, a phew-worthy victory for reproductive rights advocates and a loss for the state’s … Continue reading →

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Here we go again with Planned Parenthood and Medicaid

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rooting for another injunction. Texas officials are back in federal court this week over abortion-related policy, this time to defend efforts to oust Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. Planned Parenthood has asked U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks to block the ouster … Continue reading →

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Back to court for Planned Parenthood

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Planned Parenthood late Friday asked a federal judge in Austin to block plans by Texas officials to kick the organization out of Medicaid. Calling state plans “nothing more than a politically motivated witch hunt,” Planned Parenthood … Continue reading →

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Texas follows through on threat to pull Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

More than a year after the initial threat was made. Clearly, you can’t rush these things. After more than a year of delays, Texas is officially kicking Planned Parenthood out of the state’s Medicaid program. In a move that could … Continue reading →

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The thing you need to know about the guy behind the “three million illegal votes” claim

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a known liar and grifter. When President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Sunday — without evidence — that “millions” of people voted illegally in the race for the White House, he invited a wrath of condemnation for again stoking doubts about … Continue reading →

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Auditor asked to investigate Heidi Group health care grant

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The left-leaning nonprofit Progress Texas is asking the state auditor’s office to investigate a $1.6 million state contract awarded to an anti-abortion group under the state’s new Healthy Texas Women program. […] The Heidi Group does not currently provide … Continue reading →

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