Health Care Advocate: May 22, 2025

Table of Contents GOP’s Major Budget Bill Passes U.S. House This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed congressional Republicans’ major domestic policy budget reconciliation bill by a 215-214 vote, sending the bill to the Senate. THA has worked for months to shape discussions and negotiations on the legislation, closely watched in health care sectors nationwide because of lawmakers’ plans…

THA Leadership Fellows play THA's new hospital finance game. (Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot)

Health Care Advocate: May 15, 2025

Table of Contents Committee Advances Federal Bill With Medicaid Cuts Congressional committee markups on portions of the federal budget reconciliation bill began in earnest this week, and the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee advanced its piece of the legislation on Wednesday. That progress quickly followed the committee’s Sunday night release of draft legislation and a THA statement Monday reacting…

THA Associate General Counsel Heather De La Garza-Barone, J.D. (right), testifies before the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot

Health Care Advocate: May 8, 2025

Table of Contents On D.C. Trip, THA Urges Preservation of Medicaid Funding With talks continuing in the nation’s capital over the Republican budget reconciliation bill and the possibility of dramatic Medicaid cuts therein, members of THA’s advocacy team hit Washington, D.C., this week to continue warning against such reductions. THA staff met with the offices of 12 members of the…

THA Senior Director of Policy Analysis Anna Stelter attends a Senate Committee on Local Government hearing as a resource witness. Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot

Health Care Advocate: May 1, 2025

Table of Contents Full Senate Passes Life of the Mother Act The Life of the Mother Act – crafted to clarify the medical emergency exception to Texas’ abortion ban – took its biggest step yet to becoming law, passing the full Senate on Tuesday. The THA-supported measure, Senate Bill 31 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), passed by a unanimous 31-0…

THA External Lobbyist Margo Cardwell, HCA Healthcare Director of Government Relations Juliana Kerker, THA President/CEO John Hawkins and Former-THA General Counsel Charles Bailey during a meeting at THA headquarters. Photo credit: Natalie Guillot

Health Care Advocate: April 24, 2025

Table of Contents Senate Committee Advances Life of the Mother Act The Life of the Mother Act earned approval Tuesday from the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs, bringing Texas hospitals and physicians another step closer to needed clarity on the medical emergency exception to Texas’ abortion ban. The committee OK’d Senate Bill 31 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), making…

A dramatic look inside the Texas Capitol this week, where numerous Texas hospital executives have appeared this session to testify on behalf of the industry on a wide range of issues, from gun safety to 340B protections to behavioral health. (Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot)

Health Care Advocate: April 17, 2025

Table of Contents Please Act Now to Stop Drastic Congressional Cuts Texas hospital leaders need to take action immediately. Congressional lawmakers are home in their districts for a two-week work period – but when they’re back in session on April 28, talks on the Republican-led budget reconciliation package on taxes, energy and the border will heat up. And the possibility…

Health Care Advocate: April 10, 2025

Table of Contents THA, TMA Team Up to Back Life of the Mother Act THA this week joined with the Texas Medical Association (TMA) on a joint statement to express strong and united health care industry support for the Life of the Mother Act, a bipartisan clarification to the medical emergency exception to Texas’ abortion ban. THA also testified Monday…

THA Associate General Counsel Heather De La Garza-Barone testifies in favor of House Bill 44 during the House Committee on Public Health hearing last Monday.

Health Care Advocate: April 3, 2025

Table of Contents THA Opposes Hamstringing Hospitals’ Ability to Protect Reputation THA General Counsel Steve Wohleb testified today against Senate Bill 2043 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), a broad anti-retaliation measure that would, in part, prohibit health care institutions from taking any adverse action against providers for speech that “is protected from government interference.” SB 2043 includes language about other…

THA staff with former Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt (second from left) at the THA-sponsored "Five Years After COVID-19" Texas Tribune event.

Health Care Advocate: March 27, 2025

Table of Contents Senate Passes THA-Supported Bill to Curb Insurer Misuse of AI Wednesday brought a major incremental victory in the battle to regulate insurers’ undue use of artificial intelligence (AI) when the full Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 815 by Sen. Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown) on a unanimous vote. SB 815 prohibits insurers from using an AI algorithm as…

THA Associate General Counsel Nicole Lusardi, J.D., testifies in support of House Bill 3163 at the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence. (Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot)

Health Care Advocate: March 20, 2025

Table of Contents AHA Warns of Potential ISIS Terrorist Threat at Hospitals The American Hospital Association and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) are sharing an informational bulletin about the potential threat of a “multi-city terrorist attack” on U.S. hospitals “in the coming weeks” following a social media post that warned of active planning of such a threat.…