Health Care Advocate: March 16, 2023

Table of Contents House Committee Approves THA Workplace Violence Bill This week, a key bill to address and prevent workplace violence became the first THA-priority measure to advance out of committee in the Texas Legislature’s 2023 session. The House Committee on Public Health gave its signoff Monday to House Bill 112 by Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin). Among its salient steps…

Health Care Advocate: March 9, 2023

Table of Contents Hawkins Outlines How Committee Can Help Hospitals Serve and Thrive THA President/CEO John Hawkins laid out a high-level summary of how the Texas Legislature can help hospitals in Wednesday’s hearing of the Texas House Committee on County Affairs, and received encouraging feedback from one committee member who lamented the divergent financial tracks between hospitals – which are…

Health Care Advocate: March 2, 2023

Table of Contents THA Testifies in Support of Hospital Budget Priorities On Tuesday, THA’s Jennifer Banda, J.D., voiced support for several state budget priorities, including Medicaid coverage, rural hospital funding and behavioral health coverage before the Texas House Committee on Appropriations. Banda spoke in support of House Bill 1’s funding for rebuilding Texas’ health care workforce. Workforce challenges in health…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 23, 2023

Table of Contents THA Lauds Add-On Payment, Psychiatric Bed Funding in Budget Bill THA staff made appearances in both chambers of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday as THA continued to make sure budget discussions in both the House and Senate keep hospital priorities on the front burner. Jennifer Banda, J.D., THA’s senior vice president of advocacy and public policy, appeared…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 16, 2023

Table of Contents THA Testifies to Support Workforce-Bolstering TWC Programs On Tuesday, THA testified for the second time in this year’s session of the Texas Legislature, this time in support of budget funding for Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) programs to increase both workforce numbers and workforce training in health care settings. Assistant General Counsel Heather De La Garza, J.D., testified…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 9, 2023

Table of Contents THA Testifies in Support of Proposed Workforce Funding In its first testimony of the 2023 session of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday, THA threw its support behind the funding proposals for nursing workforce programs, mental health and graduate medical education (GME) outlined in the starting-point state budget bills. Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, THA lobbyist Jennifer…

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 2, 2023

Table of Contents Anti-White-Bagging Bill Filed; Storm Wipes Out Key Hearing The second major February winter storm in as many legislative years has disrupted business at the Texas Capitol this week, including the rescheduling of a Senate Finance Committee hearing today where THA was scheduled to testify on the health and human services portion of the state budget. But even…

Health Care Advocate: Jan. 26, 2023

Table of Contents Medicaid, Behavioral Health Budget Plans Include Good News for Hospitals THA’s analysis of the Texas Legislature’s initial 2024-25 budget bills reveals lawmakers are planning to hold the line on safety-net, trauma and rural hospital add-on payments to care for the most vulnerable Texans, and increase their commitment to key pieces of the state’s behavioral health apparatus. Those…

Health Care Advocate: Jan. 19, 2023

Table of Contents Budget Bills Bring Hope for Workforce Wins The starting points for Texas’ budget for the next two years – as filed Wednesday in each chamber of the Texas Legislature – include sizable, THA-recommended commitments to the state’s health care workforce needs, with proposals for increased investments in several important workforce-boosting programs. Rep. Greg Bonnen, MD (R-Friendswood) filed…

Health Care Advocate: Jan. 12, 2023

Table of Contents As Session Begins, THA Prudent-Layperson Bill Filed Just before the 88th session of the Texas Legislature gaveled in this week, THA saw one of its priority measures – which would reinforce the existing “prudent layperson” standard for emergency care – filed on the House of Representatives side, setting up another attempt at stopping a pervasive health plan…