Health Care Advocate: Oct. 30, 2025

Table of Contents Shutdown Update: First Texas DSH Cuts Top $300 Million The impact of the current federal government shutdown officially reached Texas facilities in the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program this week as they received their first advance DSH payment of fiscal year 2026. Accompanying the shutdown that began on Oct. 1 was the initial implementation of long-delayed…

Health Care Advocate: Oct. 23, 2025

Table of Contents AHA Provides Updates on H-1B Visas, Physician Employment Trends U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued updated guidance on Monday clarifying the new $100,000 H-1B visa fee announced last month. The fee applies only to recipients outside the U.S. without a valid H-1B visa and excludes recipients of previously issued visas and current visa holders, as well as…

Health Care Advocate: Oct. 9, 2025

Table of Contents Medicare Advantage Prompt-Pay Bill Backed by THA THA’s efforts to crack down on hassles and impediments in Medicare Advantage (MA) have found a fresh legislative vehicle in the Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act, recently introduced in Congress by U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Lubbock) and supported by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.). The bipartisan bill would: A broad and…

Health Care Advocate: Oct. 2, 2025

Table of Contents Government Shutdown: The Latest on Hospital Impacts THA is monitoring all developments related to the current federal government shutdown, which began Tuesday night at midnight ET following Congress’s failure to pass a short-term funding package. With the shutdown now in effect, three fiscal years of cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) have officially started to kick…

Health Care Advocate: Sept. 25, 2025

Table of Contents Government Shutdown Still Threatens to Upend Hospital Programs Congressional lawmakers have five more days to avoid a federal government shutdown, but an apparent impasse continues ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to keep the government open – leaving troubling uncertainty for the future and fate of several key hospital programs and provisions. If no funding deal is…

Health Care Advocate: Sept. 18, 2025

Table of Contents THA Talks DSH Cuts, Premium Tax Credits and More in D.C. Members of THA’s advocacy team were in Washington, D.C., this week to stress critical issues for Texas hospitals in meetings with the offices of the Texas congressional delegation. THA staff met directly with three House members and staff for 12 other lawmakers, including both Sens. John…

Health Care Advocate: Sept. 11, 2025

Table of Contents THA to Texas: Prioritize OBBBA Rural Health Funds for Hospitals In comments submitted to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) this week, THA shared its top priorities for how the state should spend its share of $50 billion in federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The comments respond…

Health Care Advocate: Sept. 4, 2025

Table of Contents No Public Hospital Carveout in Bathroom Bill as Legislature Adjourns The final hours of the Texas Legislature’s second special session of 2025 featured lingering uncertainty for hospitals as THA feverishly pushed for an exemption for public hospitals from the “bathroom bill,” Senate Bill 8. That exemption didn’t materialize prior to the Legislature adjourning sine die on Wednesday…

Health Care Advocate: Aug. 28, 2025

Table of Contents Bathroom Bill, Abortion Drug Ban Reach House Floor THA followed the Texas House of Representatives closely today – and awaited activity on a key carveout – as two controversial bills were on the House floor calendar during the waning days of the Legislature’s second special session: Other key legislation THA is closely tracking includes: The Legislature is…

Health Care Advocate: Aug. 21, 2025

Table of Contents THA’s Friday Testimonies Will Include Bathroom Bill Comments The return of House Democrats for the Texas Legislature’s second special session of 2025 brought rapid movement this week on key legislation THA is tracking on abortion medications, disaster preparedness and the push to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying. Here’s a look at some of the key bills that have begun…