Health Care Advocate: July 24, 2025

Table of Contents THA Throws Support Behind Doggett’s MA Prompt-Pay Bill U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) announced this week the introduction of bipartisan legislation to establish needed prompt-pay standards in Medicare Advantage (MA). Dubbed the Prompt and Fair Pay Act, the measure has been endorsed at its outset by THA, the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals, the National…

Health Care Advocate: July 17, 2025

Table of Contents Special Session Preview: THA Tracking Flood, Abortion Items When state lawmakers return to Austin on Monday for a special session of the Texas Legislature, THA will be watching closely for resulting implications for hospitals. Like many other session-watchers, THA will follow progress on legislation for flood relief and disaster preparedness – suddenly of outsized importance following the…

Health Care Advocate: July 10, 2025

Table of Contents Flooding in Central Texas Prompts Multiple Disaster Declarations THA is monitoring the situation in Kerr County and surrounding areas in Central Texas after devastating floods last week led to more than 120 deaths, more than 170 people still missing, and state and federal disaster declarations for affected counties. Gov. Greg Abbott’s disaster declaration, first issued on July…

Health Care Advocate: July 3, 2025

Table of Contents “Big Beautiful Bill” Passes: THA Protects $10 Billion for Texas Medicaid Congress passed the legislation commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act today with language related to provider taxes that won’t upend Texas’ local tax structure for funding Medicaid, contrary to what THA and other advocates feared during negotiations over the sprawling legislation. During Senate…

Health Care Advocate: June 26, 2025

Table of Contents Senate Parliamentarian Halts Provider Tax Reductions Today, U.S. Senate republicans hit a roadblock on the One Big Beautiful Bill, as the parliamentarian ruled that several health care provisions in the draft bill – including restrictions on Medicaid provider taxes – violate the Byrd Rule. This means that these provisions cannot move forward as written in the package,…

Health Care Advocate: June 19, 2025

Table of Contents Senate “Beautiful Bill” Language Favors Non-Expansion States Congressional Republicans’ arduous pursuit of a major budget reconciliation package took another step this week as the Senate Finance Committee released its language for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On the issues of provider taxes and state-directed payments – the most scrutinized pieces of the bill by Texas hospital…

Health care leaders gather at a reception last week for a joint meeting of THA's Hospital Physician Executive Constituency Section and Quality & Patient Safety Council. Photo Credit: Theo Werner

Health Care Advocate: June 12, 2025

Table of Contents Federal Budget Update: THA Working to Preserve Provider Taxes THA continues to watch closely and stay involved as the U.S. Senate works this week on the major budget reconciliation package being pursued by congressional Republicans. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to release revised language for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by early next week. THA…

THA Associate General Counsels Nicole Lusardi, J.D. (left), and Heather De La Garza-Barone, J.D. (right), present today at the Texas Healthcare Trustees’ 2025 Healthcare Governance Conference. Photo credit: Natalie Guillot

Health Care Advocate: June 5, 2025

Table of Contents Sweet Sine Die: THA Celebrates Wins as Legislature Adjourns THA emerged taxed but triumphant from Monday’s adjournment sine die of the regular session of the Texas Legislature, having again logged a long list of successes for Texas hospitals and health care during the four-and-a-half months that lawmakers convened in Austin. There were no real surprises related to…

Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals President/CEO John Henderson (left), Harris Health Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations Micah Rodriguez (center) and THA Senior Director of Health Care Policy Matt Turner (right) celebrate the final day of the 89th Texas Legislature. (Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot)

2025 End-of-Session Member Call

In the final days of the 2025 legislative session, THA hosted a robust End of Session call to brief membership on more than 100 hospital-related bills contemplated this session by the Legislature. THA’s John Hawkins and Carrie Kroll led the call, laying out key wins, challenges and landscape analysis. Also presenting were other members of THA’s lobby team and its…

Health Care Advocate: May 29, 2025

Table of Contents The Final Countdown: Loan Repayment Bill Passes as Session Winds Down With just four days now remaining in the 2025 regular session of the Texas Legislature, THA is keeping a close eye on last-minute activity – especially the prospect of defeated, problematic bills getting amended onto other pieces of legislation. However, the picture has cleared significantly in…