A Growing State, A Growing Need Texas continues to lead the nation in both population and job growth. More people are moving to the state for its economic opportunity, business-friendly environment and quality of life. But rapid growth creates a challenge for the state’s healthcare system to keep pace – like much of the country, Texas faces shortages of physicians,…
The shortage of healthcare workers has been on Texas’ radar for years now; although the healthcare workforce has grown dramatically over the last several years, demand continues to outpace supply. While hospitals work to strengthen employee retention, the healthcare sector – especially hospitals – needs more graduates.
Across the country, patients are paying more through premiums, deductibles, copays and coinsurance. While many Texans technically have insurance coverage, an increasing number struggle to actually use it because the out-of-pocket costs are too high. The result is a growing number of people who are insured on paper but unable to afford care in practice.
A viral graphic dubbed the “Chart of the Century,” based on consumer price index (CPI) data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is fueling conversations around affordability, and shows hospital services as the fastest-rising in a list of consumer costs between January 2000 and December 2025.
Patients don’t access healthcare in insurance headquarters or pharmaceutical boardrooms. They experience it in hospitals, emergency rooms and clinics. All roads – from reimbursement cuts, rising drug costs and insurer-driven reforms to supply and salary inflation – lead to increased operating costs for hospitals and ultimately, raise the price for patients. Yet patients still expect that when they need care, a hospital will be there, and that they’ll be able to afford the bill afterward.
During Mental Health Awareness Month, conversations around behavioral health often focus on reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek help. But for many Texans, the challenge is not only recognizing when help is needed and finding the courage to ask – it is navigating an increasingly strained behavioral health system, particularly when facing moments of crisis. Over the past several…
Texas is facing a growing healthcare access crisis. Rising costs, shrinking affordability and coverage instability are making it harder for Texans to seek care when they need it most. As patients delay treatment, hospitals must manage more severe illnesses, longer stays and higher uncompensated costs while already operating under financial strain.
Everyone is talking about how health care costs are too high, and rumor is that hospitals are mostly to blame. The major drivers pushing up the cost of care – labor, reimbursement and demand – are well documented. But so is the cost to sustain the critically expensive and heavily regulated hospital operations. Insurance blames hospitals, think tanks blame consolidation and patients left holding the bill blame a broken system.
What’s an Interim Session? The Texas Legislature meets in regular session every other year for 140 days to conduct lawmaking, pass the state budget, oversee operations and consider amendments to the Texas Constitution. When the Legislature is not meeting, lawmakers and legislative committees work during the interim period – the time between sessions – to study policy issues, gather public…
The Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees plays a critical role in shaping strategic direction, ensuring strong governance and advancing the interests of THA membership. These new trustees reflect a wide range of professional backgrounds and lived experiences, united by a shared dedication to service and making a positive impact in hospitals, health care institutions and their surrounding communities. Daniel…
