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…

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.…

2025 THA Leadership Fellows take a tour of the Texas Capitol following a morning program at THA headquarters. (Photo Credit: Brian O'Neill)

Health Care Advocate: March 13, 2025

Table of Contents THA Asks for Fairness for Providers in Medicaid Fraud Bill “Waste, fraud and abuse” – the troika of current targets in government spending at both the state and federal levels – collectively generated more discussion on Tuesday at the Texas Capitol as the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services considered Senate Bill 1038 by Sen. Kevin…

Katherine Yoder, vice president of government relations at Parkland, discusses key issues alongside Micah Rodriguez (left) of Harris Health System, Jeff Hill (second from left) of UMC Health System and other hospital executives during a meeting of THA’s Hospital Advocacy Group.

Health Care Advocate: March 6, 2025

Table of Contents THA Hits D.C. Amid Talk of Possible Government Shutdown THA advocacy staff traveled to Washington, D.C., this week, meeting with the offices of members of the Texas congressional delegation – including 14 House members and both U.S. senators – to discuss pressing issues impacting hospitals. April 1 looms as a key date by which lawmakers must resolve…

Will Holleman (far right), THA vice president of advocacy and public policy, leads students from Trinity University's Masters of Health Care Administration program around the Texas Capitol last week, when the students visited THA for an up-close look at advocacy in action. (Photo Credit: Natalie Guillot)

Health Care Advocate: Feb. 27, 2024

Table of Contents New THA Federal White Paper Calls for Careful Budget Approach Ahead of the U.S. House of Representatives advancing a major budget proposal on Tuesday night that would include the potential for deep Medicaid cuts, THA released a new white paper that lays out hospital-relevant pieces of the current congressional budget talks, and urges a careful approach that…