Category: Texas

‘Is This When I Drop Dead?’ Two Doctors Report From the COVID Front Lines

Two emergency room doctors, one in New York and the other in Houston, discuss their cities’ coronavirus outbreaks — and responses.

In Texas, More People Are Losing Their Health Insurance as COVID Cases Climb

During the pandemic, nearly 700,000 additional Texans have lost health insurance. The Lone Star State already had more uninsured people than any other. It has given people with COVID symptoms pause before seeking medical care.

In Texas, Individual Freedoms Clash With Efforts To Slow The Surge Of COVID Cases

In Houston, now a hot spot for COVID cases, not everyone agrees on how to deal with the pandemic.

Antibody Tests Were Hailed As Way To End Lockdowns. Instead, They Cause Confusion.

Some communities considered community antibody testing as a way out of lockdown. But they’ve pulled back as they realized antibody testing is the Wild West in an oversight vacuum.

Must-Reads Of The Week

KHN executive editor Damon Darlin wades through mounds of health care policy stories — so you don’t have to.

Extending ‘Healthspan’: Brain Scientists Tap Into The Secrets Of Living Well Longer

New thinking about aging spins on how to stay free of chronic illnesses and cognitive decline later in life.

Texas Law Highlights Dilemma Over Care For Patients With No Hope Of Survival

The Texas Advance Directives Act gives hospitals the authority to stop life-sustaining support if another hospital won’t accept the patient. The family of Tinslee Lewis, a 10-month-old with serious medical problems, is fighting to keep her in hospital care.

Loophole Averted After Surprise-Bill Brouhaha In Texas

The Texas Medical Board bowed out of the rule-making process for a new law protecting consumers from surprise medical bills. Advocates hailed the new rules written by the state insurance regulators.

Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Portion Of Obamacare

The court, based in New Orleans, agreed with a federal judge in Texas that the individual mandate section of the Affordable Care Act could not stand after Congress eliminated the tax penalty for not having coverage. But the case now heads back to the lower court to see how much of the law can remain.

Last-Minute Loophole Could Undermine Texas Law Against Surprise Medical Bills

Texas passed a bipartisan law against surprise medical billing, but advocates warn that a proposed rule could severely weaken it, continuing to allow surprise bills outside of emergencies.