For 140 days during the odd numbered years, state leadership, lawmakers, their staffers, lobbyists, advocates and constituents come together at the Texas Capitol to create, amend and/or repeal state laws with the goal of resolving some of the state’s most important public policy issues. This work is just a piece of the policy making process.
The laws that come out of a legislative session are often the product of work that occurred during the preceding interim—the period between the end of one legislative session and the start of the next.
During the interim, Texas hospitals and other advocates have the opportunity to help educate lawmakers on issues and policy priorities that will inform their upcoming legislative agenda.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Lt. Governor kick off the interim work by distributing “charges” or specific topics for the committees in their respective chambers to study, consider in legislative hearings and sometimes make recommendations on.
This interim, the Texas Hospital Association will help educate lawmakers and track their work on a wide range of topics from property taxes to hospital trauma care to quality initiatives in Medicaid managed care. For the full description of the interim charges THA currently is tracking, please click on a category below.
Nearly six million Texans experience a behavioral health condition annually, and more than 60 percent of those conditions go untreated …
How the state finances vital health care services for its residents is a perennial subject of debate in the Texas Legislature …
Federal supplemental payments and health care programs have a significant impact on Texas’ health care safety net …
As care complexity increases and reimbursement decreases, Texas hospitals continue running their facilities and operations in the best interest of Texas patients …
As care complexity increases and reimbursement When Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas’ Gulf Coast in August 2017, it quickly became one of the nation’s costliest natural disasters …
More than 4 million Texans receive high quality health care services through Texas Medicaid each month …
Texas hospitals must ensure their affiliated physicians, pharmacists and health plans adhere to and are aware of state laws …
From preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks or natural disasters to supporting smart immunization practices …
Hospitals’ reimbursement for health care services comes from multiple public and private payers …
With nearly 290 designated trauma hospitals that provide lifesaving care daily, Texas has one of the strongest and most effective …
Texas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation and ongoing litigation around requiring fetal remains from abortions and …