AUSTIN — The White House’s signature health care law is loathed by Texas’ political leadership, and the idea of expanding Medicaid likely remains a non-starter when the Legislature reconvenes this month. But Gov.-elect Greg Abbott and many top conservatives support … Read More
The State agency complied with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act in its review of cases for which there were credible allegations of fraud. In addition, the Surveillance and Integrity Review Section implemented its policies and procedures to address … Read More
Consumers saved $1 billion in 2013 and states receive more funding to continue to scrutinize rate hikes Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today released a new report showing that in 2013 alone, consumers benefitted from $1 billion … Read More
More than 80,000 additional Texans have enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program since the rollout of the Affordable Care Act last fall despite Republican state leaders’ decision not to expand eligibility to poor adults, according to federal … Read More
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced today the availability of $100 million from the Affordable Care Act to support an estimated 150 new health center sites across the country in 2015. New health center sites will increase access to comprehensive, … Read More
Summary Pennsylvania complied with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act to implement regulations (42 CFR § 455.23) for the review of cases for which there were credible allegations of Medicaid fraud. Pennsylvania Complied With the Requirements of the Affordable … Read More
The Washington Times reported yesterday that ACS/Xerox is being sued in a class action by Nevada residents who purchased health insurance from the state health insurance exchange that was set up by the company. The state government contracted with ACS/Xerox … Read More
Gov. Rick Perry today released the following statement on attacks by the Obama administration over the failures of Obamacare: “Yet again, the Obama Administration would rather point fingers at other people than accept any of the responsibility for Obamacare’s failure. … Read More
Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace continued to rise in February to a five-month total of 4.2 million. As in January, the percent of young adults who selected a Marketplace plan was 3 percentage points higher than it was from … Read More
WASHINGTON — The share of Americans without health insurance is dropping to the lowest levels since President Barack Obama took office, but sign-ups under his health care law lag among Hispanics — a big pool of potential beneficiaries. With just … Read More
Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released the annual Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program report showing that for every dollar spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations through this and other programs … Read More
EDINBURG — Sitting at an old picnic table in front of a dilapidated house, María Díaz, a hotel housekeeper, tells stories of the rejection that comes with living in impoverished Texas colonias. The trash on her street is not picked … Read More
More than 40 health and community groups launched a campaign Wednesday to raise awareness of the coverage gap created when Texas officials declined to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. Advocating that poor Texans should have greater … Read More
DALLAS (AP) U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says Texas is losing $18 million a day in federal funding by not expanding Medicaid under the federal health-care overhaul. Sebelius spoke Friday at Paul Quinn College in south Dallas. … Read More
Due to its reluctance to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, Texas may see more than 3,000 deaths due to a lack of insurance, according to a new Health Affairs study. The study looked at the uninsured rates for … Read More
When Gov. Rick Perry touts the Texas economic miracle, as he did recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he’s only telling half the story. True, the state enjoys low overall unemployment. Yes, Texas leads the nation in … Read More
SAN ANTONIO — The facts are pretty basic: About 1 million Texans — 115,000 in Bexar County — could be eligible for insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, but won’t be able to get it. Because they live in … Read More
Federal regulators moved today to block new home-health agencies from starting up in the Dallas and Houston areas. The reason, in a word: fraud.Specifically, the regulators said they wouldn’t let any new agencies bill Medicare, the federal health insurance program … Read More
The Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday issued state regulations for health care “navigators,” the workers who assist people seeking health insurance in the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. The rules take into account some of the … Read More
AUSTIN — Hospital officials, Democratic lawmakers and advocates for the poor complained Monday that the state’s proposed rule on health insurance “navigators” could cripple efforts to educate Texans about their coverage options.At a final hearing and in written comments submitted … Read More
On January 1, the Affordable Care Act changed the rules states use to determine whether people can get most types of Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage. Here’s a list of some of the more significant changes: Medicaid … Read More
December 20, 2013 — Almost half a million Coloradans are expected to gain dental benefits under Medicaid by 2016, but they’ll have a hard time finding a dentist to treat them, according to a study by the Colorado Health Institute. … Read More
December 19, 2013 — United Health Foundation’s 2013 America’s Health Rankings report has ranked U.S. states according to their health and includes visits to the dentist in its data. The healthiest states have a higher concentration of dentists, and their … Read More
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act and its so-called navigators, who are charged with helping uninsured Texans sign up for health insurance coverage, on Friday criticized proposals for additional regulations of navigators during a Texas Department of Insurance hearing. Proposed … Read More
For Martha Blaine, the 10 Affordable Care Act “navigators” who meet clients daily on behalf of the Community Council of Greater Dallas blend in with the rest of her staff. “They are all employees,” said Blaine, the organization’s executive director. … Read More
RICHARDSON — Members of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee met in North Texas on Monday to address the latest controversy surrounding health care “navigators,” the workers trained to help uninsured Americans find coverage under the Affordable Care … Read More
Texas has the second-highest number of people who have purchased health plans through the embattled online insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, according to enrollment figures for October and November released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health … Read More
On April 1, Texas’ most powerful elected officials gathered at the state Capitol to rail against Medicaid. In a packed press conference room with protesters shouting outside the door, Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and U.S. Sens. … Read More
A year after Texas was slated to increase Medicaid payments to primary care physicians under the Affordable Care Act, the state has received federal approval to implement the change. Although the ACA required states to increase payments to primary care … Read More
To address privacy concerns raised by state leaders, the Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday proposed additional rules for the so-called navigators directed to help Texans find health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act. TDI Proposes New Rules for … Read More
Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Kyle Janek raised concerns on Tuesday about a temporary process set up by the Obama administration to help transfer applications for Medicaid from the federal health insurance marketplace over to the state. “As Jan. … Read More
WASHINGTON — For the past decade, Texas has been at war with Washington. Gov. Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott have fought the federal government on health care, voting rights and environmental regulations. On spending, new programs and regulations, … Read More
In fast-growing Texas, which is home to one in 11 of the nation’s children, child poverty has continued to rise despite an improving economy, according to a new report from the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank. … Read More
Many Texans in individual health care plans that don’t comply with the Affordable Care Act have been spared cancellation notices. But for the Texans whose plans have been dropped, health care experts are encouraging them to proceed carefully. In Texas, … Read More
AUSTIN — Insurance companies, brokers and consumer advocates say a highly publicized national wave of health plan cancellations largely bypassed Texas. There are several complex reasons, but one of the biggest is this: Following the example of Arkansas and other … Read More
As technical problems persist with the online federal health insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act, Texas Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber decided Friday to postpone shuttering the state’s high-risk health insurance pool until March 31. TDI Postpones Closure of … Read More
Critics of the Affordable Care Act have lambasted President Obama’s signature legislation as it struggles with technical glitches and as thousands of people nationally report the cancellation of their existing health insurance plans. But a report released Thursday by Families … Read More
WASHINGTON — Bowing to pressure, President Barack Obama on Thursday announced changes to his health care law to give insurance companies the option to keep offering consumers plans that would otherwise be canceled. Obama to allow sale of plans canceled … Read More
Fewer than 3,000 Texans successfully found private health insurance during the first month of the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period to purchase a health plan through an online federal marketplace, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Department … Read More
In Dallas to raise cash for Senate candidates, President Barack Obama took a side trip Wednesday to pressure Gov. Rick Perry to expand Medicaid and thank volunteers working to help uninsured Texans. He called it a “no-brainer” that Texas could … Read More
